ASI presidential candidates speak on qualifications, ideas

As part of a series, the Daily 49er brings you the Associated Students Inc. candidates, in their own words. Online elections take place now until Thursday.

Alyssa Gelinas

At last Tuesday's executive debate, most candidates showed up wearing suits or professional business attire. Presidential candidate Alyssa Gelinas sported a Barack Obama T-shirt.

"Love him or hate him, [Obama] is an inspiration," Gelinas said. "The man's got style."

Gelinas is a freshman pre-nursing major who refers to herself as a fair representation of the average student. She plans on graduating in the spring of 2016 and works part-time as a hostess at Polly's Pies. Despite having no prior experience in student government, the ambitious 20-year-old freshman is currently campaigning for president of Associated Students Inc. 

"I'm really, really enthusiastic and passionate about my school and my community," Gelinas said. "I run for president because this is how I express my passion for school."

Q: How do you plan on voicing students' grievances about the budget cuts?

A: Well, first and foremost, I want students to know that I struggle through the same problems with budget cuts that they do. I have to struggle with student loans and grants. I also have to hold a job and balance school. So their concerns are my concerns. And like the students, I worry about if the budget is cut even further, and how I'm going to pay for next semester. I plan on fighting for [students] and speaking to people who have ideas about how to get this crisis under control and making sure the kids who want an education aren't denied, just because they can't afford to pay.

Q: What would be your main focus during your term?

A: My main focus as president of [CSU] Long Beach would be to make this campus a community and, to do that, I want to get kids involved. I'd like kids to meet each other because when you meet your fellow students and you get to know the people around you, you network, you explore new ideas, you gain new perspectives. And you make friends for life, you make relationships that will serve you later in life and it's extremely important. That's why we're here, that's why we pay this much. So let's make the best of it.

Q: How is your candidacy different from your competitor?

A: My candidacy is different than my competitor's because I think I better represent the student body. Lucy [Nguyen] has been involved in student government for a while and she's vice president right now, but the majority of our campus is just a regular student. When I go to class, I see students who are uninvolved. They just come in, come out and go on their way. I want to change that. I want the student body to understand that they can get more involved in their campus, they can do these activities, and I realize that they need to be reached out to more and we can't just appeal to the kids who are already involved, we need to reach out to the kids who don't get the attention that they should.

Q: In your own words, what's the purpose of your position and the important duties?

A: The purpose of the ASI president is to represent the student body and their best interests. Your ASI president meets with other leaders in the Cal State system and discusses the role of the university, but they also represent the best interests of your particular school. But being the ASI president means a lot more than that. You're not just involved in student politics; you also need to be involved in your student body. To me, the president needs to showcase the best that Long Beach has to offer. We need to reach out to the students to show them what their school has for them and how they can get involved and how they can get excited and make the best out of their time here.

Q: How would you increase the communication between ASI and the students?

A: I think it's really important to do more to increase communication between the students and their government. I think that the government in my first year here had very little involvement and I felt disconnected from some of the activities going on in my campus. If I were president, I would find ways to better reach the students. I would come out to their classrooms. I would come out to their clubs and their sororities and their frats and let them know about the goings-on. That's why we find ways to reach out to students and let them know that there are things that interest them — things that maybe they've never tried before — but there's activities out there for them and it's in their best interest to get out and explore and to try new things.

Q: How are you qualified for the position?

A: I think it's a mistake to assume that to be qualified to represent the students as their president you need to have experience in student government. I think, more importantly, it's about understanding the concerns that students really have and understanding what can be done about them. And I understand that money is a real big issue for students and I understand that creating a more unified and connected school is a concern for students. Feeling like their degree is going to be worth something once they're done with it is also a concern for students. And that's what I think qualifies me, is I understand what the students need. I understand what they want and I have the passion and the drive and the fight to try and protect what students are working so hard for.

Q: How do you respond to students who say the ASI execs are paid too much? Would you consider taking a pay cut?

A: If the issue of executive pay really bothered the student body, I would consider looking at it. I haven't been elected president and I can't say whether the compensation meets with the demand, but I get the feeling that if you really do want a president who works hard and who works their butt off for you and does everything they possibly can that they're compensated pretty fairly.