ASPSU gears up for next year

Since their recent election to office, ASPSU President Katie Markey and Vice President Selina Poulsen have filled all ASPSU executive staff positions with students that are ready to implement campaigns for 2010–11 school year.

In the upcoming year, the focus of ASPSU’s campaigns will be ensure that students have a voice in restructuring, student dignity and student fee-funded services. The executive staff is utilizing these campaign themes to develop more specific campaign goals, Poulsen said.

In order to prepare for their first campaign, Poulsen said the staff will “backwards plan.” In other words, they will get information that is relevant, set goals and then figure out how to best utilize staff member strengths.

In addition, Markey has been working with the new communications director to get the kinks out of the website and to provide up-to-date information about ASPSU and its campaigns to students as soon as possible.

According to Poulsen, the ASPSU executive staff is using summer term to acclimate to their positions, attend training sessions and to learn to work as a team.

“We are gearing up for an intense year,” Poulsen said.

Chief of Staff

Chon Madrigal, the new chief of staff, plans to serve as a mentor and to provide constructive feedback to the staff. In addition, his goal is to ensure that staff members have the resources needed to fully execute campaigns and to help the staff succeed personally and academically.

Madrigal recently graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. This fall, he will begin a master’s program at Portland State in Educational Leadership and Policy, with a specialization in Postsecondary Adult Continuing Education.

He also worked in student government at Oregon State University where he supervised student-funded programs.

Multicultural Director 

Multicultural Director Zahed Reza Khurasani plans to work on international student outreach to see how international student tuition is being distributed and hopes to look for ways to decrease costs for students, he said. Additionally, he will be helping student groups with campus events.

Reza Khurasani was a student senator in 2009–10 and is pursing a master’s degree in electrical engineering.

Communications Director

Communications Director Sadie McCarthy plans to contribute new designs and messages that will promote the goals of ASPSU and to act as the public relations correspondent between ASPSU and other organizations.  

Currently, McCarthy is a PSU senior working towards an Arts and Letters major with a minor in communications. She is also the vice president of communications for Toastmasters in Portland, and plans to teach communication or to work in an administrative role.

Legislative Affairs Director

ASPSU’s new legislative affairs director, Brittany Duffy-Gochè, hopes to register 3,000 voters by Oct. 12 through a registration drive plan that includes class raps and campus canvassing.

“My hopes for this year as legislative affairs director are to make sure students are educated about the current legislative year, including measures and candidates,” she said.

Duffy-Gochè is currently a senior majoring in sociology with a minor in women’s studies.

Equal Rights Advocate

ASPSU’s equal rights advocate, Jessica Mease, comes from Portland Community College’s Sylvania campus, where she worked at the Women’s Resource Center.

“It is my goal to be a resource here on campus for students and staff, as well as the community at large,” she said.

Mease is a junior and plans to get a master’s of social work after graduation.

University Affairs Director

Marcus Sis, the new university affairs director, said his main goal is to act as a conduit for student voices to the administration, especially in regards to restructuring. 

“It is more important now than ever that students’ concerns are made clear to those who are making decisions which will affect them,” he said.

In order to get more students involved with student government, he plans to show others the positive impact ASPSU will have in the year to come.  

Sis is an incoming sophomore who is a political science major and a pre-law minor.  

For more information about ASPSU, visit www.aspsu.pdx.edu.  

Available training sessions for student groups

Courtney Morse, the Oregon Student Association campus organizer, will be offering several different training sessions for student groups, including:

-Coalition building

-Backwards planning

-Campaign strategy

-Goal setting

-Staff management

-Recruitment

-Institutional oppression

-How to be a good ally

-Leadership development

-Time management

For more information, contact Morse at 503-422-8883 or [email protected].