San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec




San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

A.S. executive elections near

Associated Students council meetings take place once a week. Executive members run the meetings and organize student government.

So you want to be an Associated Students executive?

An executive has a very long to-do list, one that is never finished.

A simple walk across campus can turn into an impromptu question and answer session with a curious student. Executives must become masters of school policy, be proficient in public speaking and take the scrutiny that comes from living in a public fish bowl.

The A.S. election will take place mid-semester next spring and the five executive positions, president, executive vice president, vice president of external affairs, vice president of finance and vice president of university affairs, will be up for grabs once again.

Vice President of Finance Grant Garske said that while the position is very rewarding, students who want to take up the job had better steel themselves against the onslaught of tasks and responsibilities.

“You see the other executive officers and at times you see them looking like a rag doll a bit,” Garske said. “They’re tired, they did not sleep the night before, it’s a very rigorous job. Although we do work a set number of hours, the fact of the matter is that we’re on call 24/7.”

A.S. is a student corporation, armed with a $20 million budget, elected by and responsible for the student body. Executives must learn business etiquette and take on the tasks of keeping records, managing student finances, implementing projects such as Modern Space and overseeing San Diego State facilities such as Aztec Center and the Aztec Recreation Center. They also manage the student organizations and programs such as Green Love and Rock the Vote.

Executives are paid a salary of roughly $18,000 a year according to Executive Director of A.S. Dan Cornthwaite. This wage is reassessed every year based upon the cost of living as an in-state but off-campus student. All executives are paid the same, Cornthwaite said.

In the last election, the winning candidates James Poet, Joy Salvatin, Daniel Osztreicher, Garske and Tim Velasquez ran together as a united front, an alliance based on shared ideas and issues, Garske said. Of the five, only Poet was a returning executive.

“We had the same feelings,” Garske said. “We came together and just sort of thought about what we would like to see if, hypothetically, we worked together. James ran again because he knew the system 8212; no learning curve. Efficiency, through the roof. And with the other execs, he helped facilitate that learning growth.”

Poet was arrested in October for allegedly driving under the influence and possession of marijuana, a happening that has dominated student discourse concerning A.S.

Garske said that he found it frustrating students who have never taken an interest in A.S. have “jumped on the bandwagon” against Poet but refuse to be informed or involved in A.S. as a whole. Garske called Poet a progressive leader who worked well with the other executives and he said removing Poet would create a negative chain reaction that would damage A.S. efficiency.

“Am I advocating for what he did as OK? No. Am I advocating for him to be let off the hook? No,” Garske said. “Am I advocating for a little bit more efficiency in our communications about that issue so that in the interim period, before a decision is made, we can still maintain high effectiveness? Yes.”

A.S. accomplishments are varied. This year executives helped to renew the lease of the Mission Bay Aquatic Center, a job that required wrangling over details with City Hall. When the university wanted to create the Aztec Nights events, they turned to A.S. to plan the activities. The Good Neighbor Program has worked to put a positive face on the university through outreach in the community. The Rock the Vote and Green Love initiatives have strived to get students involved in politics and in making the campus more eco-friendly.

Elections usually happen close to Spring Break, Garske said. When the winners are selected, they will be sworn in during the last A.S. council meeting in May. The outgoing A.S. president will make a farewell address and the incoming A.S. president will be sworn in by President Stephen L. Weber. The newly sworn in president will then swear in the other executive officers.

No prior experience is needed to run for an executive office, although a robust knowledge of the inner workings of A.S. and a penchant for a long to-do list would certainly be helpful.

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A.S. executive elections near