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news
Garcia continues
to represent students
By Marten Lewerth
On-line Forty-Niner
Robert Garcia went
from representing about 31,000 students to more than 370,000
over the course of one summer.
Big difference.
The former Associated
Students Inc. president has been elected chairman of the California
State Student Association, an organization that serves and
promotes the interests of all students in the California State
University system before the Chancellor's Office, its Board
of Trustees and other legislative bodies.
"My experience
as A.S.I. president at Long Beach has definitely given me
the proper training for the position," said Garcia, who
is finishing his bachelor's degree in communication studies
this semester. "It's a big step. At first I felt pretty
honored and a little overwhelmed, but I'm excited. It's a
huge responsibility."
As chairman Garcia
will be the official spokesman of the CSSA, which he described
as one central A.S. serving the entire student population
of the CSU.
"It's a great
position for him," said Armando Contreras, executive
assistant to CSULB President Robert Maxson. "Also, I
think it's the first time someone from our campus has been
elected to the position, so it's a great thing for our students."
Garcia is in fact
the first chairman elected from CSULB, at least since 1971
when the group began keeping records, according to Laura Kerr,
the interim director of governmental relations for CSSA.
A.S. presidents
from each school serve as board members of the CSSA and meet
once per month to discuss issues and agendas.
Kerr said the CSSA's
legislative priorities at this point include finding solutions
for student housing, easing parking and transportation concerns,
increasing financial aid accessibility and keeping student
fees level.
Current A.S.I.
President Wayne Stickney-Smith said Garcia will be an effective
chairman because he possesses the necessary communication
skills for the position.
"The biggest
thing the CSSA needed was a communicator," Stickney-Smith
said. "They needed a strong leader to step up to the
plate and take charge."
During his tenure
as chairman Garcia will receive a monthly stipend of $1,250,
funded by the President's Office and Student Services, plus
an allotment for traveling expenses, according to Contreras.
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