ASI President appeals to Senate to pay CSSA dues

Published in the CSULB Daily 49er newspaper Nov. 1.

Associated Students, Inc. President Mark Andrews addressed the ASI Senate Wednesday to discuss the possibility of paying dues to the California State Student Association again, but that the resignation of its executive director must first become a reality.

Andrews said stability is non-existent within the CSSA and wouldn't consider paying dues again if its director, Susana Gonzalez, remains in office.

"I really believe that an executive director provides stability year in and year out," Andrews said. "There needs to be a change in that position."

The CSSA is a statewide organization that represents students of the California State University system, and for two years Cal State Long Beach has opted out of paying dues. It has instead decided to allocate that money to fund scholarships.

"It's a worthwhile organization that's broken right now," Andrews said. "I believe if we're going to ask for a drastic change to be made, mainly for the resignation of the executive director, we'll have to be willing to pitch in a little bit."

Andrews said he wanted the Senate to consider paying dues again. He also said he isn't the only one who desires a change in the position and that many other colleges want to see additional changes.

"Right now, the organization is in large financial trouble," Andrews said. "The recent audit that came out was not good."

Sen. Ruben Cordova from the College of Business Administration asked Andrews what the actions were that caused this issue, to which Andrews answered a disliking for Gonzalez's attitude and work ethic.

"I've noticed her not having a competency in her work," Andrews said. "Basic accounting errors have been made and there's a mismanagement of money. [Gonzalez] says [the CSSA] is in a financial crisis because campuses have pulled out of paying dues, but [the CSSA] was going down hill before we pulled out."

Gonzalez said she had no idea about the complaints.
"I'm really shocked that CSULB would accuse us of mismanaging money," Gonzalez said in a phone interview Wednesday after the Senate meeting, "even when the audit didn't have any findings."

Gonzalez is the second executive director in CSSA history and has been with the organization for five years. The first was in the 1980s, and she said there was a time they didn't have one.

"I'm really shocked and heartbroken," Gonzalez said. "I think there's a misunderstanding and I would have thought the ASI president would have called me to talk about these issues."

According to Gonzalez, the dues to be a CSSA member cost 60 cents per student.

The CSSA works with a $400,000 budget.

ASI Executive Director Richard Haller said the fees depend on the population of the campus and that CSULB decided to stop paying because there was not enough of a direct benefit to justify paying dues.

ASI faculty representative and journalism professor Chris Burnett said he thinks the CSSA serves a useful purpose.

"I feel as a faculty member the CSSA has potential to offer good experience for students who want to know what's going on in state government," Burnett said. "I'm hoping they can work out the funding and political situations."

In other Senate news, the second reading of the water conservation resolution, which will attempt to conform CSULB's water regulations to Long Beach city's standards, passed with no opposition. The third reading and the vote to pass the resolution will take place Nov. 7.

Sen. Marilei Denila was elected as the second student representative for the International Education Committee, and the confirmations of Vanessa Lopez for assistant secretary of systemwide affairs and Joan Mace for secretary of academic affairs were postponed until Nov. 7 because both were not in attendance Wednesday.