29 Mar The Power Trio after Elections: A Look at ASI’s Executive Officers

• ASI executive officer positions comes with unique responsibilities and challenges.
• Each officer balances their role with school and finding time for themselves.
• Any interested CSUF stduent can apple to be an executive officer.

 

Now that the 2025-26 ASI election is over, ASI’s new President-elect, Haneefah Syed, and Vice President, Juan Salguero, must perform their first duty— hiring their executive officers.   

The Job   

ASI currently has three hired executive officer positions: the Chief Campus Relations Officer (CCRO), Chief Governmental Officer (CGO) and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CIDO). The three executive officers act according to what the ASI president, bylaws and policy state. Each officer must also advise ASI’s Board of Directors on their work while maintaining at least one designated weekly office hour to meet with students and complete their work. Along with those universal standards, the individual positions have different responsibilities that require different skills and interests to be successful.  

Chief Campus Relations Officer  

The CCRO’s job involves maintaining a working relationship between ASI and the rest of campus. They are in regular contact with the members of the president’s cabinet, like the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Amir Dabirian, and Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. David Forgues, while keeping track of campus climate and issues. The CCRO also helps lead the University Affairs and Environmental Sustainability commissions to ensure the campus serves students’ needs and remains a welcoming and safe learning environment.  

Chief Governmental Officer  

The CGO maintains a relationship between ASI, the CSU Fullerton Government Relations Department and city and state government officials. The CGO also leads the Lobby Corps Commission and conducts various visits to lobby for CSU Fullerton students’ rights.   

Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer  

The CIDO’s job is to maintain the relationship between ASI and the CSU Fullerton Diversity Initiatives & Resource Centers Department, Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion Programs (HDRI) Division and the various resources available to help historically marginalized communities. They also oversee leading the Social Justice & Equity Commission while ensuring diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice are represented throughout ASI’s departments and practices. The goal of the CIDO is to implement and uphold policy to ensure that CSU Fullerton is a safe and inclusive space for everyone who steps on campus.  

The People  

While the positions themselves are essential, the people appointed as executive officers shape and mold the legacy each position leaves behind. The 2024-25 school year saw three strong individuals take up the mantle of ASI Executive Officer: President-elect Syed as the CCRO, Megan Hannoun as the CGO and Andrea Ramirez Rivera as the CIDO.  

While the mantle of “executive officer” might seem prestigious and require certain levels of knowledge, any Titan, regardless of college and major or previous involvement with ASI, can apply to be one of the three executive officers.  

 

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“I wasn’t involved in my undergrad. I got involved in ASI once I started my master’s program,” said Ramirez Rivera, a second-year master’s in counseling (Animo: Latinx Counseling) student. “I was previously on the Board of Directors for the College of Health and Human Development, which I loved, but I realized I wanted to work more directly with school officials to see real change occur.”  

Syed, Hannoun and Ramirez Rivera had little to no experience with ASI before their involvement in student government.    

“This is my first year heavily involved with ASI. I felt a bit clueless when I started,” said Hannoun, a fourth-year political science major. “[Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA)] connected me with ASI because I saw all like the Inner Club Council meetings and AICA. But it really wasn’t until Suzzette Morales, our current VP, kind of recruited me.”  

Despite seemingly lacking knowledge about ASI, all three officers were passionate and cared about advocating for the student body.  

“This is my first year within ASI, so it was a really big jump from not being in ASI to an executive position, but thankfully I was a student leader on campus elsewhere,” said Syed, a current third-year English major. “I started attending a lot of stuff because I was friends with one of the ASI presidents. Because of that, I started going to events and I got the recommendation to apply for the CCRO, so I’m relatively, honestly, pretty new.”  

While Syed, Hanoun and Ramirez Rivera all hold the Executive Officer title, having prior experience in student government or ASI is not required to be a voice for CSUF students on a higher level.  

The Struggles  

Every job has its ups and downs, including appointed government officials. While each of the three positions is unique, there’s one similarity that Syed, Hanoun and Ramirez Rivera agreed makes being an executive officer difficult: time.  

“I’m only here for a year. I came in with a lot of plans, a lot of which I just wasn’t able to do because of time capacity reasons,” said Hannoun. “I think the challenging part is that you may not be able to get as much done as you hoped for so. It’s really about celebrating all those small successes than it is seeing out a really big project,” emphasized Ramirez Rivera.  

While time in their position is limited, Syed finds the CCRO’s job time-sensitive in a different way.  

“Within these roles, you have to be really smart and strategic about how you want to go about your advocacy when it’s hitting the fan. In my role specifically, I lead the university affairs commission and that one is all internal campus issues,” said Syed. “Sometimes, I don’t get preview to what those issues are, obviously, so it’s good and bad because I can make sure I’m intentional and genuine in what I do but I do have to act fast.”  

Despite the speed of their terms, the work done by the executive officers helped shape Cal State Fullerton and ASI into what it is today. The work done by this year’s leaders will continue to shape future generations of student leaders and Titans as a whole.  

The Reward 

Despite their struggles, the executive officers enjoy their positions and helping shape Cal State Fullerton.   

One of the benefits Syed and Ramirez Rivera have discovered has been working alongside various campus leaders and administration.  

“I’ve loved developing working relationships with university leadership because you really get to know them as a human and outside of their profession,” said Ramirez Rivera. “I love getting to work with [campus admin] on a more personable level. I feel like campus doesn’t see them as often and my goal is to humanize our admin and really make sure they are more student facing,” said Syed.   

But just as they all applied to be an executive officer for different reasons, they all enjoy their work for various reasons.  

Hannoun’s time as the CGO has been shaped by one main goal: “My biggest priority was making politics approachable, accessible and less daunting, for students,” emphasized Hannoun.  

To accomplish that goal, Hannoun looked for and relied on support from the Lobby Corp Commission to help reach more students and get them more invested in government and politics. Their effort came to fruition through events like Titans Turnout and receiving an award for the 2024 Ballot Bowl. Hannoun also emphasized her love for working with the Cal State Student Association (CSSA) and advocating for student rights on a larger scale.  

 

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For Ramirez Rivera, part of her enjoyment comes from working and mentoring the Social Justice & Equity Commission students.  Even though Ramirez Rivera is close to graduation, she desires to see CSUF continue to grow and thrive by empowering students to step into future leadership roles and using the power they hold to help be good advocates and leaders.  

As the CCRO, some of Syed’s most proud accomplishments have yet to be seen by campus, but she is excited to see her work revealed, such as upcoming Earth Week events. However, she has enjoyed getting students and campus leaders more training and resources like offering restorative justice workshops in the latter half of the Fall 2024 semester.  

The End of Their Day  

While the three officers are passionate about their work in their positions, they are also students working toward their prospective degrees. While in the present, all three are advocating for student and campus livelihood, they are working hard in the classroom toward their own perspective goals and careers.  

After graduating, Hannoun and Syed plan to study for and take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Hannoun ultimately sees herself working in government specializing in foreign affairs and international relations. Syed, inspired by her Muslim and SWANA background, wants to pursue a career in international law and advocate for human rights. With one semester until she finishes her master’s program, Ramirez Rivera plans to become a marriage and family therapist for survivors of violent crime.  

Despite their busy schedules and schoolwork, the three officers still find time to be human and step away from work in various ways.  

For Ramirez Rivera, a simple treat of enjoying a warm cookie and watching some reality TV is enough to relieve her from excess stress.

Syed prioritizes keeping her weekend free from work, allowing her to plan time with family and friends or planning small things to look forward to at the end of each week.  

Even Hannoun, a self-described workaholic and political junkie, takes time occasionally to watch a show or movie— even if it is related to politics, according to her recent viewing of “Scandal.”  

Even though Syed, Hannoun and Ramirez Rivera all hold executive officer titles, they are students at the end of the day. The three officers help showcase Titans’ capability to make a difference with their time at Cal State Fullerton.  

Your Next Steps  

With our current three executive officers’ experiences in hindsight, students can now apply to be one of these three different executive officers for the 2025-26 academic year through the Wufoo application form.   

“If you’re really, really passionate about advocacy and you want to make a mark on campus, next year is your year,” emphasized President-elect Syed. “I can guarantee you that a lot of changes will come to campus, but student’s will be at the forefront of it, and specifically within all of these executive roles.”  

While the legacy each executive officer leaves behind may seem intimidating, applicants also benefit from helping shape the future of ASI and CSUF for generations of Titans to come.