ASPSU faces vacancies: Student Government copes with staff changes

Four members of the Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU) executive staff departed over winter break, and some of the former staff members have raised concerns over student government’s management.

These four departures take the total number of executive staff members who have vacated their posts this year up to eight. Most of the vacant seats were filled quickly, but some still are open.

Student Body President Rudy Soto held a meeting last month, asking members who were not able to continue their work to step down. Two employees left soon after and two others were found to be ineligible to serve in student government.

One staff member who left, former Communications Director Leah Gibson-Blackfeather, said student government has issues with retaining staff because of office management. She said she did not receive the proper training for her position and was expected to do the unfinished work of the previous two communication directors who left earlier this year, she said.

Gibson-Blackfeather said Soto specifically kept her from fulfilling the duties of her job.

“He didn’t want me to speak with the media. If he keeps taking that approach it’s going to be really hard to institutionalize change,” said Gibson-Blackfeather, who was the third person to work as the communications director. “He has complete control. He can do whatever he wants.”

[Editor’s note: Leah Gibson-Blackfeather worked for The Vanguard from August to September of 2007, until she took the job as the ASPSU communications director.]

Members of the Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU) executive staff hold the highest-ranking positions in student government-anything from university affairs director to multicultural affairs director. The student body president hires nine people to work on the executive staff each year and their work starts in July.

After Gibson-Blackfeather’s departure, Soto hired the fourth ASPSU communications directors, the second legislative affairs director and the second multicultural affairs director since July. Soto said he is still working to hire the third ASPSU administrative director and the second events/outreach coordinator.

The staff changes are a part of making ASPSU stronger, Soto said.

“I asked everyone on executive staff to re-examine their ability to fulfill their job requirements,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that everybody in exec staff was going to be able to do their job. I want to end the year strong.”

Soto said reasons for the vacancies varied, but often it came down to students not being able to commit enough because of lack of time or money. Rather than trying to convince uninterested employees to stay, Soto said, it would be better to bring in new, more committed staff members.

“I didn’t want to have warm bodies hanging out in the office, I want people who want to work,” Soto said. “I just hold accountability to a very high standard.”

Former events and outreach coordinator Kenji Lee, who left in December because of his impending graduation, agrees with Soto’s decision. High turnover simply goes along with campus jobs like ASPSU, he said.

“I think that it’s a good thing to let this thing play out. Let’s see if this organization can keep rolling.”

The other staff members to leave in December were Siva Weilert, the former ASPSU administrative director and Ryan Klute, the former legislative affairs director. Both were found ineligible to serve in ASPSU last month. Soto said he could not comment any further on their ineligibility because of laws concerning employee confidentiality. [Editor’s note: Ryan Klute, who has had a long history in student government, including a year as student body vice president, now writes a column for The Vanguard. He still advises ASPSU, but is no longer paid.]