Vice presidential candidates share hopes, goals

As part of a series, the Daily 49er brings you the Associated Students Inc. candidates, in their own words. Online elections will be March 21-24.

Stephen Thomas has a lot on his plate. He is a full-time student, with a part-time job as a P.F. Chang's server and still finds time to indulge in personal challenges, like his last expenditure in May, when he climbed Mount Shasta.

"I feel like I'm always busy, but I'm not upset about it," he said.

Thomas is a junior business management major, as well as the current Associated Students Inc. senator for the College of Business Administration. He serves as Senate Pro Temp, the chair of the Senate Audit Committee and the Senate representative for both the Board of Control and the Student Fee Advisory Committee. Last year, he served as the vice president of his fraternity Theta Chi and president of the Interfraternity Council. He is also a member of the Society for Advancement of Management.

"I purposely make myself busy," he said. "It's what gets me going, it's what motivates me. I have no room to complain about it."

At 21 years old, Thomas plans on graduating in the spring of 2013. He is currently campaigning for ASI vice president. 

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

 A: Well, I believe ASI leadership needs to be proactive in dealing with the budget crisis. We need to be able to respond quickly and firmly. We have to send a message to CSU and California that we are the future of this state and that California cannot continue to put more and more financial burdens on college students. During my term as secretary for system-wide affairs, we implemented the "More Than Numbers" campaign to help all students understand the severity of the budget cuts to higher education. I also flew to Sacramento, where I visited the capitol to visit the decision makers and make sure that they keep education a priority for California. As a senator, I continued work in Lobby Corps and wrote important resolutions to oppose the budget and bills that would reduce services to ASI students. It is vital to continue all this work to make education California's top priority for investing in the future. 

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

A: Over the next year, I would focus on fundamental aspects of student advocacy such as legislative lobbying, shared governance and fair process for all students. Through our legislative lobbying efforts, we need to make sure that students are represented in the state and federal arena so that they continue to invest in higher education and our future. Through efforts like shared governance where ASI shall continue to work alongside the university to make sure that we have a seat at the table for concerns, like class availability.

Another one of my focuses would be in fair process for all students when we, as students, make university grievances like grade appeals. The process is different from department to department and college to college, and I want to make sure that we continue the work we have done this year to make that a standardized process across the university so that we, as students, are all treated equally.

Q: How is your candidacy different from your competitors?

A: Experience. I believe that my experience gives me the knowledge of how to deal with the many challenges ASI and CSULB's students are facing. 

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

A: For me, being vice president is more than chairing the meetings. It's making sure that the official campus voice of CSULB's students is functioning properly. The well being of ASI is dependent on the well being of the Senate; when a Senate is productive and actively engaged with the campus community, ASI as a whole does better. We need to make sure that the Senate collaborates together to create clear and tangible goals at the beginning of the year so it can be productive.

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

A: I think that it boils down to involvement. ASI needs to be more involved in the lives of students, and I know more students would love to be involved in ASI. We should focus more on creative programs such as street teams, which go out and reach the students on the way to classes and in the dorms in order to give all students more accessible information about what ASI is doing. It will also be my promise to have an open door policy so that all students can work together to create a strong ASI for the future. 

Q: How are you qualified for the position? 

A: Well, first as a member of the board last year I was able to learn and understand basic workings of the Senate and how it functions. Also, as Pro Temp of the board, I have worked closely with the vice president to understand the behind-the-scenes work that goes into such a large meeting with so many members. As chair of the Senate Audit Committee, I was given the opportunity to run ASI meetings efficiently and effectively so that all members are heard and what happens in the meetings is reported back to the senate. On a more personal level, I believe that I am an enthusiastic and a creative problem solver. When concerns are brought forward, handling them head-on and with enthusiasm is my approach to having a productive senate.