Sarah Storelli is the ASI President. Storelli, along with Kostas McDade and Nick Dindio, write the State of the Students column.
Over the past 30 years with President Emeritus Warren Baker’s leadership, Associated Student Inc. (ASI) has cultivated a strong relationship with the university administration, faculty and staff, allowing for shared governance throughout all levels of the university. Not only does this relationship ensure students’ voices are heard by the decision makers of Cal Poly, but it recognizes the fundamental values that are crucial to the success of the student body and university.
As your elected representatives, great responsibility comes with great accountability, and specifically, ASI Student Government members serve on every single university-wide and Academic Senate Committee, ranging from Academic Advising Council to the Athletics Governing Board. Myself and the chair of the board, Natalia Walicki, serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the Academic Senate and are able to express student sentiments and thoughts regarding every issue.
Additionally, as ASI President, I serve on the strategic planning committee, which allows me to offer student input as to what the students’ role is in the university, not only currently, but for years to come.
Since our shared governance relationship has been created at all levels, we, ASI Student Government, felt it’s a priority to formalize our long-lasting relationship in writing what shared governance means to the students.
Over the past few months, ASI Board of Directors members Kostas McDade and Eric Freeman, and a member from the University Union Advisory Board, Karen Mesrobian, wrote a resolution on our vision of shared governance: the intent to support any and all forms of student representation as a legitimate expression of the collective student voice throughout all levels of the campus community.
We also pledge to continue to work with the administration to discuss issues that affect the entire university by promoting respect, understanding, communication and compromise toward all parties involved.
From this resolution, we are making an institutional commitment to shared governance at Cal Poly, and President, Jeffrey D. Armstrong supports our vision. He has been adamant about ensuring student success and recognizes and values the importance of the long-established tradition of shared governance and how the students of Cal Poly are the heart and priority of the university. Some of the many shared governance traditions he is carrying on are monthly meetings with the ASI President and having the ASI President sit in on his Management/Staff Team meetings.
Throughout my term, I have been fortunate to work with Baker, interim president Robert Glidden and Armstrong, allowing the student opinion to be exercised consistently over the transition of three university presidents. Relative to other California State Universities, Cal Poly arguably has the strongest relationship of shared governance throughout all levels of the university and is quite fortunate.
As your ASI representatives, we want you to know that we voice the opinions of all of you on a daily basis. Although you may not always see the results in one day or even one year, we work to serve you and to make the future of Cal Poly better.
One example of this is the college council restructuring and review taken upon the ASI Board of Directors. Through this, we hold each college accountable to how the council’s money is spent. Specifically, ASI College Council Funding is available for College Councils to enhance their image, promote the college to students within the college and encourage broad student involvement in college activities. ASI College Council Funding is used to create an opportunity for all students of the college to benefit from and, depending on the expenditure, to participate in as well.
Since we only have a year in office to make change and progress, we are able to begin projects and sometimes finish them during our term, but more importantly, pave the way so projects concerning students will be carried on by our successors. As your student representatives, we proactively voice the student opinion on various levels throughout the university and enthusiastically embrace all opportunities to continue to work closely with the administration, faculty and staff to discuss important matters that affect you.