Nicholas Dungey, political science professor, started off the Associated Student’s meeting with an invocation speech encouraging the student government to think in a new way.
“First, you need to understand where you are,” Dungey said. “Know where you stand and what you face.”
He said that the collapse of the economy and the state budget cuts couldn’t be changed, adding, “the money is not coming back.”
“What you now face is the new norm. Traditional thinking and analysis will not suffice anymore,” he said.
“Become artists in your education and become artists in your soul. Be prepared to lead in new ways and to challenge authority. Create and invent new ideas to prepare for what is coming, which is unprecedented,” Dungey said.
The Director of CSUN’s Government and Community Relations, Brittny McCarthy, followed with some advice on what to pay attention to this year in the governor’s budget proposal. One being that enrollment in the California State University system has been prioritized, she said. Fee increases will be paid for by legislatures in the proposal.
Midterm elections are something else to look out for because all the seats are up for re-election.
Senators to approve Committee Chairs.
All five committee chairs up for approval passed almost unanimously. The new heads are Austin Ysais for academic affairs, Guyon McCormick for external affairs, Ashley Walker for internal affairs, Jessica Abarca for policies and Alex Samovitz for university affairs.
The Senate also nominated and approved senate representatives to the finance committee, judicial court, environmental affairs, Student Production and Campus Entertainment Board, and children’s advisory board. Gisselle Jaen was elected for finance, Tonantzin for judicial court, Alex Samovitz for environmental, Austin Ysais for S.P.A.C.E. and Cynthia Medrano for the children’s advisory board.
Environmental affairs had two nominees: Jaen and Samovitz. Jaen said that she had wanted this position last semester but was unable to hold it because of time constraints.
It is still a passion of hers she said, however, and she wanted to try for the position again knowing she had more time for it. Samovitz said he had held the position before and knew the operation. Adding he wasn’t as passionate for it, but it was something he knew and it was something he wanted to do again.
The children’s advisory board position also had two nominations: Medrano and Nicole Evans. Medrano ended up attaining the spot. Before the vote Medrano added that she is involved regularly with children at school and church. Also she said she chose to major in sociology to work closer with children. Evans said that she would like to involve herself as much as possible and that it was something she would like to take on.
Elections Code amended and approved
Jessica Abarca, senator for the college of business and economics, made a motion to add a guideline to the elections code, which states that there will be no loud speakers allowed within 300 feet of the voting booths. The amendment was added in an attempt to emulate the federal election guidelines as much as possible.
Committee chairs said in their reports that they’re promoting A.S. and getting started on addressing issues that affect students in their individual meetings. Some are working to make the students more aware of what the student government is doing such as A.S position openings and the availability of renting textbooks.
Others already have specific concerns they are dealing with. Nicole Evans, the upper division senator, brought up the problem of student’s registration times. Students who are juniors are finding it harder to get into classes than students who are sophomores. Evans said he would inquire about the process of registration times.
