By Javier Valdes
Editor-in-Chief
CSU Bakersfield’s Associated Students Inc. returns for the fall semester with big ideas, a new budget and ambitious goals.
With ASI President Alex Dominguez focusing on advocacy and Executive Vice President Alana Lim concentrating on team personal development, ASI aims to stay true to their tagline “Students working for students” as they commence the new school year.
From implementing a new student discount card, to talks about setting up a food pantry on campus, ASI’s lofty goals won’t obstruct the work initiated throughout the previous administrations.
Lim hopes to continue the development of the Roadrunners Eager to Provide for Students program, where currently CSUB students volunteer to help different committees in the ASI team.
“What I want to do is turn it (R.E.P.S.) into a mentorship program, so what way we have students that are able to work with our directors, to work with our execs, and to have a hand in different projects and hopefully that will set them up to potentially run for a director position,” said Lim. “It would open up the door for many students to experience what we do here.”
In regards to the budget, ASI hopes to continue spending effectively and efficiently said Lim.
“Our main priority for the budget this year is to stay in the black,” said Dominguez. “We’re not going to overspend, we’re not going to dip into the reserves, we’re going to be very responsible with our funds this year.”
For the 2016-17 academic year, ASI will be managing a budget of $439,484.
Although most of the line items resembled the amounts allocated during last year’s administration, there were quite a few notable changes across the budget.
Such changes include a $15,000 allocation for Runner Nights events throughout the academic year. Last years budget did not allocate funds for the three Runner Nights events hosted last academic year.
“Something that really stood out was Runner Nights, last year there was no line item for Runner Nights,” said Dominguez. “We have about $15,000 there for Runner Nights and they plan to do three or four Runner Nights this year.”
ASI has also allocated $4,000 for student scholarships, to give back to CSUB students.
“Something else we created is actually a line item for student scholarships. We are able to give back to students who are essentially helping us run ASI,” said Lim.
ASI is still working on the logistics to find a way to distribute those funds and are looking at creating a committee where they can discuss exactly how those scholarships will be awarded.
The budgets general allocation budget, used for clubs, organizations and campus requests, also notably increased funding by $8,000, for a total of $40,000.
Lim also noted that a couple of items on the budget were reduced do decrease frivolous spending.
The line items decreased for hospitality by $1,500, retreats by $1,000 and advertising and promotion by $4,000, in a move to “make sure that money was being spent on the students,” said Dominguez.
ASI hopes to create a better relationship with the students that they represent, and invites students to stop by and meet their team.
“Our doors are always open, we want to make sure that we are building stronger relationships with the students and letting them know that we are here to represent them,” said Lim. “Don’t be afraid to approach us, come into our offices, we want them here, we want to engage with them and we want to get to know them.”
