By Juliana Stumpp
A&E Editor
As one election winds down, another starts up. There were many changes made regarding the rules of the 2013 ASI elections, they were discussed and altered when the Associate Student, Inc. Rules Committee met last semester. Many of these changes include candidate’s eligibility as well as running on a “slate,” a new approach that is being tested this year.
The Cougar Chronicle interviewed current ASI President Scott Silviera to get a closer look as to what students can expect for this years elections.
Question: What are some changes the Rules Committee decided for this year?
Answer: The biggest changes made in the Rules Committee were the changes to election code so that the minimum GPA requirement moved from a 2.0 to a 2.5, the change to grant candidates the ability to campaign in the UVA/Quad area upon receiving permission of the director of the facilities, as well as a change to allow candidates to run together on a “slate” and that the maximum amount a campaign can spend was raised from $150 to $500.
Q: How does the GPA requirement affect students running for ASI positions?
A: The GPA requirement affects students running for ASI positions in that it raises the bar for qualifications. By having a higher GPA requirement, we are hoping to have candidates who have a high enough GPA that they can handle the work of the Board of Directors without having to worry about their grades dropping, since being a student comes first with student leadership.
Q: Can you explain the process of running for ASI? Is the presidential position more difficult to obtain? Are there more requirements and/or qualifications than other positions?
A: The process for running for an ASI position is very simple. We will send out notifications throughout campus two weeks before the deadline to submit your formal application with your intent to run for a certain position. Then, you must participate in at least one election event, or submit a campaign video. After two weeks of formal campaigning there is one week of online elections after which the winner is announced. Running for ASI President is the same as running for any other position. There are the same requirements, and qualifications needed for the position, but since it is the highest position, it is generally the students who have a set of qualifications they expect.
Q: Running on a slate was never available to students before, why the change?
A: The reason why we changed the rules to allow candidates to run on slates is because it made the most sense to the board. Before, students from the same club or organization could not say who they were voting for let alone campaign with someone else. This did not make sense to us since many clubs would lump candidates together anyway while the candidates were not allowed to say anything.
Q: What are the positives and negatives to running on a slate?
A: Since we have never done slates before, it is hard to tell what positives or negatives running on a slate will have for a candidate All we know is that now candidates at least have the option to run together if they so choose.
Q: What do you hope the new changes will bring to the process of running for positions on ASI?
A: We hope that these new changes will create more competition in the elections, and spark new creativity in ways students campaign. Voter turnout for ASI elections is always extremely low, so we hope that by having more people running, campaigning together, in new places, and by giving the candidates more freedom in this process that more students will be aware and invested in choosing who will represent them in their student government.
Applications for an ASI position will be available on Feb. 13, 2013. Election week is planned for Mar. 25 – 28. For more information about electoral positions and to view the new elections code visit csusm.edu/asi/bod/asielections