As the prospective executive officers of San Diego State’s Associated Students prepare to campaign for the upcoming elections, it’s important to keep in mind the new structure of the A.S. government.

The new government restructuring has already been approved and will be implemented in the 2013–14 school year.

In addition to the five executive positions, nine elected seats are in the run for the A.S. Campus Life Council and 21 elected seats are open in the A.S. University Council, which represent each college. Campus Life hosts several board representatives, including the Green Love Sustainability Advisory Board, Aztec Student Union Board and the Student Diversity Commission; each of these boards and commissions will also include appointed chair members.
In the new structure, some cultural organizations, including Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, Jewish Student Union and Afrikan Student Union will lose their council seats. These organizations will be directly represented by the Student Diversity Commission with its two representatives—the elected and the appointed one.
“(The former structure) is reflective of a time back in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s when things in this campus were god-awful,” A.S. Vice President of External Affairs Tom Rivera said. “You had the A.S. council that was about 95 percent white and people who weren’t were ostracized for it.”

Rivera said the new structure will serve the needs of today’s student body.

“There is more accountability of elected student representatives and more visibility of college representatives and the Executive Officers,” Rivera said.

The restructure divides council into four branches the Board of Directors, University Council, Campus Life Council and Judicial Affairs Council.
The five members of the A.S. Board of Directors will remain the same, but the Board of Directors will also house six appointed seats for student-at-large representatives.

The breakdown of each council and the representatives can be seen on the diagram.

Rivera noted this diagram may not be the exact structure come May because the council is looking at and making changes to the bylaws every week.

When the new structure was proposed in October, there were varying opinions from groups on campus, Rivera said.

“However, the final vote was overwhelmingly in favor of moving forward with the new structure and every representative has had the opportunity to help develop the new bylaws which A.S. Council looks at each week,” Rivera said.

The Restructuring Committee meets from 5-7 p.m. every Thursday in Aztec Mesa 113 to prepare the full structure to be used by May 1.