California State University, East Bay’s Associated Students Inc. extended its application deadline for candidates looking to run for student government to Friday, April 17 by 5 p.m.

The date was extended to give students more time to apply and be a part of ASI, according to ASI Executive Vice President Marie Ibarra.

According to Stan Hebert, associate vice president and dean of students, prior to this year, approximately 10 percent of the student body voted in the elections.

“ASI aims to increase the student participation through the use of social media, giveaways, tabling, and events that will help to promote the elections and the candidates running,” said Ibarra.

There are 14 ASI Board of Director positions that students can apply for. The executive positions are President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Internal Affairs, and Vice President of External Affairs.

The director positions that students are able to apply for are Director of Legislative Affairs, Director of Programming Council, Director of Sustainability Affairs, Director of Concord Campus, and the Director of Wellness.

The senator positions are the Senator of the College of Business and Economics, the Senator of the College of Education and Allied Studies, the Senator of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, and the Senator of the College of Science.

Previously reported by The Pioneer last year, four out of 25 students ran unopposed for their position. This included the ASI President, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of External Affairs, and Vice President of Internal Affairs. But since April 14, all 14 positions are occupied, according to Ibarra.

“We anticipate more candidates running in this year’s election with less positions unopposed as in previous years,” said Hebert.

The Associated Students, Inc. Board of Director responsibilities are:

• Evaluate and implement the mission of Associated Students Inc., including, but not limited to, advocacy and programming
• Fulfill the duties and specific expectations as defined in the Bylaws, specifically Article VI, Section 6-8
• Attendance of, and participation at, bi-weekly board meetings
• Participation in retreats, in-services, and trainings as scheduled
• Participation on appointed committees
• Participation in additional University events
• Serve on Associated Students, Inc. standing committees, University-Wide Committees, and Academic Senate Committees
• Learn and understand the operation of the corporation, the University, and the California State University system
• Make decisions for the corporation based on information provided by the management and resulting from self-initiated research
• Draft and debate legislation pertinent to the interest of the corporation
• Provide leadership opportunities for students at large