Questions by Esteban Ramirez/Editor-in-Chief

Tell us who you are. Include age, major, year in school and any other clubs or organizations you are on at CSUB.

My name is Nicole Mirkazemi and I am 20 years old. I am a second-year political science major with a concentration in pre-law. Apart from being your current director of social sciences and education in ASI, I am also involved in various aspects of our campus. Academically speaking, I am a member of the Hawk Honors Society, Pi Sigma Alpha (a political science honor society), Alpha Chi (a college honor society) and Sensational Sophomores. I am also a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and the Fashion Club. I am the co-founder of the Pre-Law Society where students interested in law can have internship opportunities, gain community involvement and acquire knowledge on the LSAT, Bar exam, and law school.

Why are you running for executive vice president?

I am running for this position because I believe that I am the best advocate for the students. I put the students first and will always do so. I know that there does exist a few issues, both inside and outside of ASI, at our university. I would like to spend my time at CSUB resolving those issues. One of these issues is the fact that many of the buildings on our campus close at 10 p.m. We are essentially forcing students to study out in the community when we have perfectly good buildings on campus. In ASI, maintaining accountability is a major issue. ASI members are supposed to be the tunnel from the students’ voices to the administration and the state. ASI members need to be held accountable.

What are your goals and your vision for the position?

My goals for this position include helping the students directly by advocating for higher education issues, continuing to increase and enhance CSUB’s involvement in the community by opening more opportunities for students to volunteer in the community and on campus, and extending the hours of study areas around campus to allow for more student accessibility. My vision for this position is for student leaders to represent the overall student body to the best of their ability, to have an ASI member at every campus committee meeting and to increase student input on all issues concerning what goes on at this university.

There are various vacancies in director positions. What do you plan to do to recruit students for those positions? 

There exists multiple vacancies in director positions that no student ran for. In order to increase the number of directors on the board, I would like to implement bi-monthly forums where student leaders and students are directly engaged. At these forums, we plan on improving communication between the student body and the student leaders. These are opportunities for students to voice concerns or campus issues directly to their advocates. At these student forums, I would also like to make students aware of various opportunities on campus. One of these opportunities would be the vacant positions in ASI, while another might be our student involvement program, R.E.P.S.

This year the MyWritingLab and the technology fees were increased without consulting the student body. How comfortable are you with arguing with administrators on behalf of students?

I am more than comfortable arguing with administrators on behalf of the students. If the students elected me to fight on their behalf, then I would do nothing less. These fee increases affect all students, not just a specific department. By not consulting the student body, this committee was implementing something that students may not even see a need for. We must first go to the students to determine what issues they are having and what areas they believe need improvement before increasing their fees. They are the ones paying the increase so it only makes sense for them to have a say in it.

How important is it to you to be transparent with all the students? 

Transparency is very important to me. I will actually say that transparency is my number one priority. I believe that anything we as student leaders do must go through or at least be seen by the students. We are advocating on their behalf and anything we do should be in their best interests. One of the main reasons I voted against the fee increases was because there was no transparency. It should’ve gone through the students first.

What do you want to do when you graduate?

When I graduate, I would like to attend law school to continue to advocate for people’s rights. I have loved the law and politics for a majority of my life and would like to become an attorney. I am still undecided on which exact type of law I would like to practice; however, I know that whichever one I do choose will be the one that advocates for individuals’ rights.

What television show do you enjoy watching and why?

I enjoy watching two main shows. One being Law & Order: SVU and the other being Chicago Fire. I like watching Law & Order because the law and protecting people’s rights really interests me. I enjoy watching Chicago Fire because of the real-life experiences they show. Every episode shows the life of a fireman and a paramedic.

Why should we vote for you?

Students should vote for me because I will advocate for their rights. I will always put the students first. I believe that student input should be every student leader’s first priority. I am not running for the title or the position, I am not running because anyone asked me to run and I am not running for any self-benefitting, resume-building reason. I am running to be the voice of the students. I believe that each and every one of your voices matter. Vote Nicole Mirkazemi for executive vice president.