The Associated Students of Portland State University is one of the largest student groups on campus and aims to vocalize the interests and concerns of the student body. Although all students at PSU are members of ASPSU, there are several governing branches whose role is to represent its members:
Executive Staff
The 2010–11 ASPSU president, Katie Markey, took office in June, alongside ASPSU Vice-President Selina Poulsen.
After taking office, the ASPSU president begins appointing members to his or her executive staff. However, before hiring, they must establish a written agreement that outlines each staff member’s duties, in addition to receiving Senate approval of the positions.
Last year, the executive staff consisted of 10 members, including the president and vice-president. However, this year Markey and Poulsen decided to consolidate the staff to eight members whose duties are evenly distributed so that it will be more efficient, according to ASPSU Communications Director Sadie McCarthy. As a result, the administrative director and outreach coordinator positions were cut.
In order to make up for the positions, Markey, Poulsen and the new chief of staff, Chon Madrigal, plan to absorb the duties of the administrative director by answering phones and reviewing the ASPSU budget, McCarthy said.
“Katie and Selina agreed that paying someone $550 a month to simply answer phones was not justifiable,” she said.
Since the outreach coordinator was also cut, practicing outreach is a key component of each position now, according to McCarthy.
The normal duties of the president include the responsibility to act as the official representative for PSU’s student body as well as to ensure the proper functioning of all governance processes of ASPSU.
The vice-president is responsible for monitoring the actions of local, state and other governing bodies that may affect ASPSU, among other duties.
Student Senate
As the legislative branch, the student senate is responsible for representing the student body’s interests. It also approves the SFC and ASPSU budgets, confirms appointments, constitutional revisions and any revisions to the bylaws and guidelines.
Although all senators serve at-large, each senator chooses a constituency, such as the Childcare Advisory Board.
Though the ASPSU vice-president also serves as the Senate president, a president pro-tempore is elected to preside over the senate in his or her absence. The 2010–11 president pro-tempore is Cathy Symes.
As required by the ASPSU constitution,
Senate meetings are open to the public.
Student Fee Committee
The SFC, which consists of eight members, receives annual budget proposals and allocates funds to all of PSU’s student groups, as well as several internal organizations, that are paid for by the student fee. This year’s SFC chair is Krystine McCants.
According to ASPSU’s website, the SFC is authorized by Oregon State law to make decisions relevant to student fees, including setting the amount and how the money will be collected, used and accounted for.
After passing through the Senate, the SFC budget must be approved by the PSU president.
Student fees are included in each student’s
tuition. For example, a student taking 12 credit hours per term pays around $220 in student fees.
Elections Board
The purpose of the ASPSU E-Board is to allow students an equal opportunity to present their views and qualifications to run for office in ASPSU, according to its website. The E-Board, comprised of three students, conducts and oversees ASPSU elections each spring.
ASPSU Judicial Board
The J-Board acts as the judicial branch of ASPSU, and therefore rules on interpretation issues of the constitution, as well as on appeals submitted by students. In addition, it performs a yearly review of the operations of ASPSU and makes amendment recommendations to the Senate to improve effectiveness of the constitution’s governance process. There are currently three J-Board members, including Chair Anandi Hall.
According to McCarthy, ASPSU is currently accepting applications for J-Board members.
Standing and Ad Hoc Committees
According to the constitution, the president or the Senate creates both committee types. While standing committees are permanent, ad hoc committees are temporary and address a specific issue.