Thursday February 14, 2019
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Volume 105 Issue 9
Minimum 2.5 GPA Tough road trip ahead required to join ASI The vote to lower minimum Associated Student Inc. grades to 2.25 was denied. APRIL SHELBY Staff Writer
The Associated Student Inc’s Board of Directors voted on Tuesday to keep the minimum cumulative GPA required to serve at 2.5. The board voted down the proposal to make the minimum GPA required for student leaders a 2.25 as opposed to the current 2.5. The board held two votes after receiving comments from students as well as two discussions among the board about the proposed change to the GPA requirement. For the final vote, the board voted 14-3 against, keeping the GPA requirement at 2.5. Those who support the plan to lower the GPA said the required GPA needed to serve as a student leader is biased against underrepresented students. Maria Linares, board of directors vice chair and secretary, said the discussion to lower the GPA requirement started last semester after some underrepresented students came to her and discussed
the GPA requirements. “At the beginning of fall, after I was elected vice chair/secretary, I had a couple of students who had disabilities and students from the undocumented community tell me that they had struggled with their GPA in the past because some of them have to work 2 to 3 jobs because they don’t qualify for a lot of the things that residents qualify for under financial aid,” Linares said. Former ASI president Josh Borjas resigned in February due to academic reasons, but the board is not focusing on GPA due to losing leaders, Linares said. “The goal of this is to be more diverse and inclusive because that’s something that we claim at our university and in ASI. Our goal is to provide resources. My thing this whole time was allowing more students to join,” Linares said. Those who don’t support lowering the GPA advocate that the 2.5 GPA requirement will save student leaders from falling into academic probation. Cal State Fullerton students are placed on academic probation when their GPAs fall to 2.0 or lower. SEE GPA
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TAYLOR ARTHUR / DAILY TITAN
During a recent practice, Cal State Fullerton prepared for three upcoming games in Arizona.
The CSUF baseball team opens up MLB collegiate tournament against TCU. JULIA PIHL Daily Titan
The Cal State Fullerton baseball team is set to kick off their season this weekend as they will be one of four teams to
participate in the first ever MLB4 tournament held at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona. Salt River Field is the shared home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies spring training facilities, according to the MLB website. Vanderbilt University, the University of Virginia and Texas Christian University will
also be participating in the tournament. CSUF will play each school once, with opportunities to dethrone teams ranked on the coaches’ preseason rankings. The Titans will open the showcase against Texas Christian University on Friday at 1 p.m. SEE BATS
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ASI vice president to focus on inclusivity Ansari will continue to foster campus advocacy with CEO Aldazabal. ANGELINA DEQUINA Daily Titan
What started as a volunteering position on Street Team during her freshman year led to a three-year career with Associated Students Inc., for Saba Ansari. Now, as ASI Vice President, Ansari said she is preparing to continue her passion for student advocacy. Ansari was unanimously elected by the board with an 18-0 vote after former ASI president Joshua Borjas resigned she is set to graduate this fall with a degree in political science and a minor in chemistry. Ansari said her career in ASI is driven by her desire to make an impact on students. “The reason has always been to help students. Even when I help one student with something — whether it be helping them with financial aid, or helping them figure out resources or food and housing insecurity — helping one person will make it all worth it,” she said. Ansari’s parents were born and raised in Northern India, but she has lived her whole life in Brea, California, where she attended Troy High School. Her parents met while pursuing their Ph.D. in chemistry and settled in Brea after getting married, Ansari said. In addition to her time with Street Team, Ansari said she served as the Associated Students Strategic Communications Coordinator for Lobby Corps and Associated Students Chief Governmental Officer. She said it was through these positions in ASI that she earned the opportunity to lobby over 25 times for the state to fully fund the Cal State University system.
New Associated Students Inc. vice president Saba Ansari continues the legacy of diveristy promotion.
She described her first time as being nerve-wracking, and that lobbying with CSUF President Fram Virjee in Sacramento last year was a transformative experience. “That whole day made me really proud to be a part of ASI, really proud to advocate on behalf of students and interacting with legislatures and hearing them listen intently to what I have to say,” said Ansari.
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This platform allowed her to introduce Ana Aldazabal, the President and CEO of ASI into the world of student government a little over a year ago. Aldazabal met Ansari after transferring from Fullerton College at a postcard writing collaboration between ASI and CSUF Diversity Resilience Education Access Movement Co-Operation, of which Aldazabal was president at the time.
“When I met her and I saw how passionate and strong she was and how much power she had within ASI, it made me realize that there could be more people like her in here. She was really my first introduction to the organization,” said Aldazabal. Ansari said her No. 1 goal is to support her fellow student leaders and following the shift in leadership within ASI.
ANGELINA DEQUINA / DAILY TITAN
She is part of the most recent all-female ASI executive team at CSUF and brings a wealth of knowledge about the university to the table, Aldazabal said. During her tenure, Ansari said she also hopes to create a program for first-generation college students similar to the first year experience. SEE DIVERSITY 3 VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM