The Associated Students (A.S.) senate lost two more posts at Tuesday’s meeting, bringing the total vacancy of senate seats to 11, more than two-fifths of the senate.

“Students need to realize what they are getting themselves into before they apply,” said Kathi Perrella, A.S. Personnel Director.

The two senators that stepped down from their senate posts, did so to become available for cabinet positions.

Neil Sanchez, former Humanites II senator, resigned from his senate seat and was approved for A.S. attorney general by the senate.

Dan Monteleone, former Graduate I senator, resigned from his senate seat and was approved for A.S. director of elections by the senate.

There was concern over the number of empty seats, said John Barry Neilan, Science and Math senator.

“There are zero representatives for certain colleges,” Neilan said after the meeting. “It just helps us to do a better job for the students when we have more voices and more representatives.”

“We need students to get involved,” said At-Large II Senator Bobby Tofig.

Tona Oble said that the CSU budget crisis has even affected the senators’ ability to serve.

“Senators are having to crash and add classes, and that’s been resulting in people adjusting their schedule,” Oble said.

Senate applicants must meet the following criteria:

· Attend weekly senate meetings on Tuesday from 2p.m. to 5p.m.

· Complete three office hours per week

· Sit on an A.S. Standing Committee.

Senators Neilan and Gisselle Jaen, Senator II for Social and Behavioral Science, voiced concerns over the appointment of the attorney general at the meeting.

“I’m not comfortable with the appointment process the way that it has been going recently,” Nielan said after the meeting. Nielan, who abstained from voting for Lena Press a week before, again abstained from voting for Sanchez.

“It just becomes a problem for me when we start switching jobs and responsibilities so quickly,” Neilan said.

Senator Jaen said she was concerned that only one person was interviewed for the attorney general position.

“In the future, I feel it be wise if you made sure to interview more than just one person for a position, especially when it is so high in cabinet,” Jaen said.

Pacheco said that there was one person that did apply, but that he used his discretion to disqualify the applicant because he lacked the “parliamentary experience” to be the attorney general.

The headliner for the Big Show will be announced Thursday at the freshman convocation at Matador Walk. Posters announcing the artists will be posted up through Matador Walk during the ceremony.

Audrey Younna, SPACE director, didn’t reveal who the artists were, but said that the headliner would be a hip-hop artist. A hip-hop artist was chosen, Younna said, because feedback from A.S. and SPACE surveys showed a hip-hop artist was preferred. There has been no decision yet on who the opening artist will be.

The announcement will also circulate on the A.S. Web site, Twitter and Facebook pages.

Harry Hellenbrand, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, gave a presentation to A.S. about the current fiscal situation in California and the CSU.

“It’s best if the entire board knows about it,” Pacheco said. “So when (A.S. representatives) talk to students, they are more well-informed.”

Vice President Conor Lansdale said he was aware of the information from attending the university planning and budget group meetings, which Hellenbrand also attends. The information from the presentation is available and accessible, Lansdale said, but that Hellenbrand compiled it for the meeting.

“You want students to be able to focus in class, that’s why it’s called higher education,” Lansdale said, “but you’re forcing them to sacrifice their academic side, to just cover their financial side.

“It’s not fair,“ Lansdale added.