Cassie Alsfeld’s two brothers – Clark and Mac – have a lot in common. Both are members of the Sigma Chi fraternity and play on the LSU Ice Hockey team, which is coached by their father – Lenny Alsfeld. And now they will both serve Student Government as vice presidents of their college councils, following in older sister – and SG president – Cassie Alsfeld’s footsteps. Both tickets in the general election asked the Alsfeld brothers to run, but they chose “Vision 2008.” Cassie Alsfeld said she made sure her brothers understood what they were getting into before they tossed their names into the hat. Mac Alsfeld, creative writing sophomore, will represent the Arts and Sciences College Council after receiving 454 votes – just 14 more votes than his rival. While his brother won a tight race and calls himself an “SG newbie,” biological science junior Clark Alsfeld ran unopposed for vice president of the Basic Sciences College Council after serving two semesters as the at-large member for his council. “Student Government, especially college councils, is more than just politics – it’s mainly about service,” Cassie Alsfeld said. Clark Alsfeld created and maintained a Web site for his college council this past year, and his decision to run for vice president was two-fold. He said working on major projects to enhance the interior and exterior of Williams Hall, Chopin Hall and other buildings amplified his ambitions. And when Sen. Sanjay Juneja, who won the vote for the college council’s president, approached him about serving as his running mate, Clark Alsfeld said he couldn’t say no. “He has good work ethics; he is very personable, experienced and reliable,” Juneja said. Mac Alsfeld gave credit to Sen. Krista Allen, University College Center for Freshman Year, for his decision to run for the office. “She helped me get accustomed to how everything worked, and really made me feel comfortable with my decision to run for vice president,” he said. Serving as student leaders isn’t anything new to the Alsfeld brothers. They got their feet wet at a young age in elementary and high school. But they didn’t always have aspirations to pursue the same path in college, and Cassie Alsfeld said she was shocked to learn they wanted to take it to the next level. But they credited Cassie Alsfeld for their decision to apply their leadership passion on the collegiate level. “Helping her campaign got us involved and interested,” Mac Alsfeld said. Clark Alsfeld said years of helping his grandmother campaign mixed with weeks of aiding his sister’s campaign to hold the top SG office inspired him to contribute to his college council. The Alsfeld’s grandmother – Jacquelyn Clarkson – has served as a councilmember at-large for the New Orleans City Council for more than 16 years. “They were always the ones ‘stuck’ putting yard signs up at 3 a.m. for my grandmother’s campaigns,” she said. “They helped me with my election just as much as they helped my grandmother with hers, not because they had to, not because it was fun or convenient, but because they wanted to out of support and love for our family.” Cassie Alsfeld said her brothers are coming into office with integrity, morality and responsibility – what she said are the right reasons to serve. After observing their sister hold public office for the past year, the Alsfeld duo weighed in on both the criticism and praise thrown her direction. “When you accept to be student body president, you have to expect some criticism,” Mac Alsfeld said. Clark Alsfeld said when it comes to politics, pleasing every student isn’t an option. “I know how much she lives for Student Government, and trying to please people. We know Cassie has thick skin coming out of our family, and our parents raised us to turn the other cheek,” Clark Alsfeld said. Clark Alsfeld said he hears attacks against SG almost daily. “People always say, ‘It doesn’t matter who won [the election] anyway because they don’t do much,'” Clark Alsfeld said. But the other Alsfeld brother said too many people are skeptical about the organization because a lot of the work is accomplished behind the scenes. Public service may be an important part of the political pie, but the brothers said they do not plan to pursue “the political world” when they graduate college. “Clark and Mac, like my parents, are very ‘no-nonsense’ kinds of people, so they tend to get frustrated with the inefficiency of politics,” Cassie Alsfeld said. “They were born with the tenacity and skills to be great leaders, and they have developed into some of the most respected, considerate, humble, grounded and charismatic leaders I know.” Clark Alsfeld is focused on his quest to become an oncologist and conducts adult stem cell research at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. And Mac Alsfeld said he plans to make his dream reality and become a film director and producer. He said he wants to see the University start a film school, but he doesn’t think SG has the power to do that. “Mac has been involved with almost every production that has come to Louisiana, primarily Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in the past few years,” Cassie Alsfeld said. She said she encouraged her brothers to pursue their own routes because she thinks they will be talented, hard working and dynamic leaders in those fields. But the public service and leadership aspects of the political realm haven’t sparked just the Alsfeld brother’s interest. Though she originally made plans to pursue politics as an adult, Cassie Alsfeld said she has re-thought the career plans she made as a 4-year-old after her tenure as SG president. “My grandmother and other mentors believe that I have a life of public service ‘in my blood,’ and that I won’t be happy unless I’m doing something for the greater good,” she said.` She said she often finds herself cynical of the political landscape. “I now realize that one doesn’t have to be in politics or in a political position to truly make a difference, and it’s usually the politics that gets in the way of those who are truly working to make a difference,” she said. Alsfeld said based on recent conversations, she may be working for a congressman in Washington, D.C. “I hope to work indirectly in politics – in public policy, lobbying and strategic communications.”
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]