Brought to you by ASCSU

By CHRISTOPHER J. ORTIZ
The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Colorado State University
 
About this time last year, I was sitting in a committee meeting at the state capitol. The committee was debating about a proposed voucher bill that would completely reverse how CSU received funding from the state.
I was a reporter for the Collegian then, sitting in a stuffy, hot building that felt more like a middle school classroom than a room where laws were decided on. A number of university presidents, including then-CSU President Albert Yates, spoke before the committee either in favor of or opposing the bill.
After about three hours of sitting in this building, waiting for the speakers list to be exhausted, a student spoke to the committee. This student, from CSU, voiced his concerns about the bill. About the bill's 140-credit cap that would make some students ineligible for in-state tuition, about CSU losing its own authority of raising tuition and mostly asking the committee to strongly consider the implications the bill might have on the state's higher education.
This student drove to Denver, missed classes and was almost late for a Pearl Jam concert so he could speak on behalf of CSU students. Dave Bower cared a lot about CSU and wanted to leave school knowing he did his best to improve student life to the best of his ability, and that was why Bower was a great Associated Students of CSU president.
Three years ago, CSU belonged to the Colorado Student Association, a lobbying organization representing Colorado universities. ASCSU decided to leave CSA because it was becoming too costly and too disorganized, but to maintain CSU student representation at the capitol, ASCSU last year hired a lobbyist to help lobby against continuing budget cuts and other higher educational disasters. Without ASCSU, students couldn't muster up enough efforts to have a lobbyist in Denver.
Last Monday, I wrote a column about the absence of power ASCSU has. The point of the column wasn't to say ASCSU was powerless and thus worthless, it was a caution to candidates to not make promises they can't keep.
True, ASCSU doesn't have power of things such as parking, curriculum, policies or the ability to remove those eyesore pigeon holes that plague the Clark Building and the Lory Student Center - trust me they have tried but failed.
Last fall, I had to take physical geology to fulfill a science requirement. Long story short, I ended up failing the class (funny because I came to CSU initially majoring in geology and I had a geology internship at the University of Wyoming). Some might say I failed the class because it was at 8 a.m., if you asked me I failed because of a girl - but that is neither here or there.
I am able to take geology again because of a magic policy called Repeat/Delete. Thousands of students' GPAs have been saved because of Repeat/Delete. Two years ago, ASCSU Director of Academics John Markham worked with administration and faculty to create this lifesaver.
ASCSU has avenues within their grasp to make a difference on this campus. Ramride is a great example. Ram road trips are another example (though an overkill in the use of Ram). So is Forever Green.
If the students elect a motivated and dedicated person, he or she would have the potential to do a lot.
He or she may not be able to fix parking on campus but he or she may be able to work with the administration and help influence new programs that would benefit students. The next ASCSU president may not be able to lower tuition but he or she will be in the position of working with the president and the state legislature to make sure students' interests are being considered.
A lot of students have benefited from ASCSU efforts, whether it be participating in a road trip to a bowl game or getting a free T-shirt to promote Rampride or getting a safe ride home after a night of drinking.
To ensure ASCSU keeps doing these things, its important to vote for the person who you think is capable of doing the best job.

Chris is the opinion editor of the Collegian.