ASCSU members see physical benefits and more

Brandi Johnson, director of marketing for the Associated

Students of CSU, sits in her plush chair in front of her cluttered

desk behind a pale cubicle wall in the ASCSU office. As she glances

out the window onto the Lory Student Center Plaza, her feet fidget

with textbooks piled under her desk, and her hand swats at a plant

branch that sits next to the opening to her cubicle.

“This office is a materialistic benefit of working for ASCSU,”

she said.

Besides a cubicle with a view, Johnson enjoys an “A” lot parking

permit, a biweekly paycheck, the opportunity to be a member of a

close-knit group of coworkers and a second place to call

“home”.

“ASCSU provides benefits beyond those that are easily visible,”

she said. “You may meet your best friend here.”

Johnson is only one of many students enjoying the benefits, both

materialistic and psychological, of working for ASCSU.

Not everyone in the office gets paid to be there though. The

only paid positions offered in ASCSU are the president, vice

president, finance controller, Web master, clerk and directors.

Each of these paid positions includes a staff/faculty parking pass

and an office cubicle. The president and vice president get the

luxury of their own office, instead of a small cubicle.

Offices and paychecks do not come without sacrifice,

however.

Each member of ASCSU in a paid position is required to work a

minimum number of hours a week. The president is required to work

at least 40 hours, the vice president 30 hours and directors have

to work at least 20 hours a week.

Senators, associate senators, assistant directors and all other

positions in ASCSU do not receive financial compensation or parking

permits for their work, but they still receive some benefits.

Johnson said any member of ASCSU has the benefit to join any

committee they choose, meet people in CSU’s administration they

normally would not get the chance to meet and attend special ASCSU

events like retreats and luncheons.

“You learn a lot about the university working for ASCSU,”

Johnson said.

Kyle McCarthy, a junior political science major and an associate

senator for the College of Liberal Arts, said that while he does

not get paid for his job with ASCSU, he is still happy to be there

and thinks it is a good opportunity for him as a person.

“We don’t get anything, not even a cubicle. There is no physical

benefit, but you do get a sense of developing leadership skills,

and a sense of accomplishment for working on issues that concern

students,” he said.

McCarthy said that being able to be a part of issues that come

through ASCSU is enough to keep him in the organization without

being paid.

Both Johnson and McCarthy agree that one of the best benefits of

working for ASCSU is the people that come in and out of the

office.

“Everyone is great in here,” McCarthy said. “It’s a really

friendly environment.”

Johnson said the ASCSU office is the only place where she feels

comfortable leaving belongings in her desk, and is also one of her

favorite places to study and hang out.

“There’s not many places where you can be studying at two in the

morning and get hit in the back of the head with a paper airplane,”

she said.