Former Student Government President Cassie Alsfeld is scrambling to load boxes of paperwork to clear the executive office for her successors – SG President Colorado Robertson and Vice President Shannon Bates. The “Moving Forward” administration of Alsfeld and former SG Vice President Josh King distinguished itself from day one as the first unpaid administration in decades following a student vote in 2007 to discontinue their salary. The former leaders said the salary cut proved the biggest challenge for their term. King said they lost about 10 executive staff members had more turnover than any past administration, but for different reasons. Former SG Chief of Staff Christen Romero said he quit this past November mainly for financial reasons. “At the time, I was really busy with school, and I had to take on another job,” Romero said. “Student Government, especially on that level, is a full-time job.” Romero, political science senior, said he wishes the executive staff received monetary compensation because so many people face financial constrictions. Former SG Director of Finance Rachel Schott said she quit at the end of this past semester because of time constraints. “I did have two other jobs at the time, and I’m busy with school because I’m graduating in May,” Schott said. Former SG Chief of Staff Operations Clark Lanius said it is easier to do a job knowing you will receive something in return. “But if there was still money, I wouldn’t take it because I’m here to help the students,” Lanius said. Though they did not receive a cent, Alsfeld said her executive staff accomplished more initiatives than were on their platform. Achievements topping Alsfeld and King’s list include transforming the Freshman Leadership Council, hosting Groovin’ on the Grounds, implementing Tiger Trams and initiating a $5 free printing quota for students. Alsfeld credited Madeline Peters, mass communication sophomore, for getting the ball rolling in August 2007 with FLC. Alsfeld said the group was unsuccessful in the past, but served as the workforce behind their initiatives. The University underwent several changes during the “Moving Forward” term – mainly on the administrative level. The biggest administrative change this year includes the replacement of former Chancellor Sean O’Keefe by acting Chancellor William Jenkins in February. “The change in administration made getting things done even more of a challenge for us,” Alsfeld said. But King said some administrative changes proved beneficial. “The only way we could have accomplished all 30 of those [initiatives] is with the administration working with us,” King said. King and other members of the executive staff served on many administrative bodies and committees. Alsfeld chaired the Student Required Fee Committee, which approved two administration-backed auxiliary fee increases. Alsfeld also secured a seat on the LSU Board of Supervisors, which unanimously passed an increase to the Student Union and Union Theater fees. The pair said they focused on working together to achieve the initiatives, but Lanius said as with any leadership team, he saw them clash on rare occasions. “But the reason is because they have both strong opinions about how things should be accomplished,” Lanius said. Lanius said one issue that still comes up months later is Alsfeld’s decision to award tuition waivers to members of her executive staff, including King, this past semester. “Whenever that happened, that stuck in people’s minds for a good two or three weeks, if not longer,” Lanius said. “But her doing that was helping people out.” King, electrical engineering senior, said he does not plan to pursue politics in the future. “I’ve gotten my fill of politics for life,” King said. “I’ve seen what politics do to people, and it’s just not for me.” He called himself the “problem solver” when it came to the Alsfeld-King duo. “Cassie sets up the relationships to carry out the initiatives, and I carry out the implementations,” King said. Alsfeld said she wants to work indirectly in politics with public policy, lobbying and strategic communications. And she said she does not regret any decisions she made as a former student leader, except that she and King both regretted not collecting more student input. “I was not elected to make popular decisions,” she said. “I was elected to make right decisions for the greater good. I know that LSU will be so much greater as a result of our efforts – individually and collectively.”
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]