Six current Associated Students council members will vie for four executive officer seats during A.S. elections April 7 to 10. Two of the candidates, those for president and vice president of external affairs, are running unopposed.

Current Vice President of External Affairs Carlos Razo is running unopposed for Associated Students president.

Celinda Vazquez is running unopposed for vice president of external affairs. She currently represents the College of Health and Human Services.

Frankie Jaramilla and Paul Astwood are running for vice president of finance. Jaramilla is currently director of community affairs in the A.S. president’s cabinet. Astwood is the representative for the Afrikan Student Union.

Jason “Woody” Wood and Ricardo Lara are running for executive vice president. Wood is the Greek Liaison in the president’s cabinet, and Lara is a representative for the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts.

President

Razo, a social sciences senior, said if he were elected president, he would continue student involvement in the impaction issue and make sure students have a say in the criteria used to determine which students are accepted to the university. He also said he wants to make sure the Student Activity Center has a successful first year.

He added he plans to be involved in some issues that he encountered this year.

“I hope to keep up with student fees and defend the students’ right to a successful and affordable education through on-campus fee committees as well as the state legislature,” Razo said.

He is uncomfortable with the idea of running unopposed.

“I’m not going to assume I’m in,” he said. “I don’t want students to think, ‘Why should I vote for him (if he’s unopposed)?’ They should vote because they need to hold their elected officials accountable.”

Razo said he will also work harder to gain the support of at least 3,000 voters.

“There’s no one else to choose, so I feel like I need to push harder for support,” he said.

Razo has attended SDSU for five years and has been involved with Associated Students for three years. He served as a representative for MEChA, the College of Arts and Letters and currently serves as the vice president of external affairs.

Vice President of Finance

Jaramilla said if he were elected to the vice president of finance position, he would try to be more involved in the investment aspect of it.

He said he is qualified for the position because he is a finance junior and has worked in financial departments at Paramount Pictures and at Equity Management in La Jolla.

Jaramilla also said he realizes that administering a $7.1 million budget is a big responsibility, but he said he is ready for the challenge.

“I’m a people person,” Jaramilla said. “I work well with everyone. I have experience in the field, and I love working on council.”

Handling money for the nearly completed SAC will also be a big part of Jaramilla’s job should he be elected.

“I want to tackle issues affecting the SAC so we, the students, can benefit,” Jaramilla said.

Astwood said if he is elected vice president of finance, he will observe other schools’ money-making ventures in order to save the Associated Students money.

“I’m going to keep my eyes open to things that will get us a lot of bang for our buck,” Astwood said. “It didn’t cost a lot to bring Enterprise (Rent-a-Car) here, but it’s one of the highest revenue-generating sources.”

Astwood, a finance senior, is currently serving his third semester on the Associated Students finance board. He held a similar position in the student government at Grossmont College.

As for dealing with the budget, Astwood said the best way to save money is to keep costs down and to generate revenues. He said it has been his goal to be vice president of finance since he transferred to SDSU from Grossmont.

“It’s one of my two loves: business and computers. I think (being VP of Finance) is the best way I’m available to help students,” said Astwood, who has attended SDSU for a year and a half.

Vice President of External Affairs

Vazquez, the sole candidate for vice president of external affairs, said she gained a lot of valuable experience with legislative affairs when she joined the Associated Students external affairs board. She said she’ll do a good job in the position because she has lobbied in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C. and can work with all types of people.

If elected, she said she will work to get more students involved in legislative matters.

“I want to push more students to get involved,” she said. “I listen to students. I understand student concerns. I genuinely care for students and their education.”

Vazquez is not taking for granted that she will win. “I don’t want to go into this office feeling like I didn’t earn it,” she said.

If Vazquez, a social work junior, is elected, she will also serve as SDSU representative to the California State Student Association, a student lobbying group that represents California State University students.

Executive Vice President

Wood, said he would try to increase school spirit, change residents’ meal plans and make sure students are heard, if he is elected executive vice president.

“There’s not a feeling (at SDSU) of ‘Yes! This is my school!’ like at UCLA or at Harvard,” Wood said. “I want to instill pride in SDSU students.”

Wood wants to change the structure of meal plans to be beneficial and convenient to residents.

“I want to get this meal plan thing squared away,” Wood said, referring to a Residence Hall Association petition the Associated Students endorsed last month. “Students are paying a lot of money and getting screwed. Students miss something like two to three meals a week, and they don’t get reimbursed. This is lunacy.”

Wood said he would make it a point to listen to both student and faculty concerns. “The main reason why people should vote for me is that I’ll always listen to what they have to say,” Wood said.

Wood is a political science sophomore and has attended SDSU for two years.

Lara, the other candidate for executive vice president, said he would make sure students’ voices are heard.

“I want to make sure students are represented,” Lara said. “The university makes decisions and spends our money without telling us.”

Another one of Lara’s goals is to encourage more students to vote.

“If no one votes, then the wrong leadership will get into office,” Lara said.

Lara said he also wants to get more students to join the A.S. council.

“I want to dig deep in the university and bring out lesser-known organizations,” he said.

Lara said students should vote for him because of his experience with the Facilities Board, which he would chair if he were elected.