ASMSU's Academic Assembly elects chairpersons
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The 18th session of ASMSU’s Academic Assembly elected its chairpersons Tuesday, filling leadership roles that will represent the student voice for the 2009-10 school year.
ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.
Civil engineering senior Kristy Currier was elected chairperson by an 8-3 vote over former chairperson Christopher Kulesza.
“I am super excited to be able to represent the students of Michigan State University and the assembly,” Currier said.
Currier was a College of Engineering representative until March, when she was elected to a newly created parliamentarian position.
Interdisciplinary studies in social science and international studies senior Mary Burleson was elected internal vice chairperson by a 10-1 vote over James Madison sophomore Dillon Lappe.
“It’s a position that I’ve wanted for a long time, so I was pretty excited about it and I think I can do a lot to help the organization,” Burleson said. She was a representative for the College of Social Science last session.
In the final election, Lappe was elected external vice chairperson by a 6-4-1 vote over Kulesza. One member gave a vote of no confidence.
“My job will be to do what Academic Assembly tells me to do,” Lappe said. “They’re the representatives of the students. What they pass and tell me to do, I do. I go and I make sure it happens.”
Lappe was a representative for the North American Indigenous Student Organization.
All three chairpersons represent the assembly to administration on various committees.
“Part of the job of the chairperson is to take the bills the assembly does and take them to the Board of Trustees and to the administration, so I will represent what is coming from the students,” Currier said.
The internal vice chairperson needs to have a knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order and the assembly’s code of operations to make sure the assembly can function correctly, Burleson said.
“I think I have a lot to improve upon and just getting to know (the rules and codes) inside and out because from this previous year, learning the loopholes in it is very important,” she said.
In March, the assembly had to consult the code to determine if they could create the position of parliamentarian, which was eventually filled by Currier.
Before the elections, some outgoing ASMSU members, such as Student Assembly Chairperson Michael Webber, urged the assembly not to vote for Kulesza, citing Kulesza’s inability to work with ASMSU’s central staff.
Kulesza resigned as chairperson of the 17th session in February because several ASMSU members said there was a lack of communication between Kulesza and the central staff.
“I did what I thought was best for the assembly,” Kulesza said. “I didn’t want them to have to choose between me and central staff.”
Many of the questions the assembly asked candidates involved how they would manage internal conflicts.
“I truly believe creating a personal relationship helps working relationships with people,” Currier told the assembly.
Commentary
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Chris Kulesza
(04/22/09 2:20am)Report
I just want to set the record straight. I did not resign because my job performance was under question. I resigned because of how horribly I was being treated by members of ASMSU while in the office.
I was literally told by staff not to come into the office for 3 days as well as not to speak to any members of the staff. I was constantly being told I should resign, while the people who demanded my resignation didn’t even seem to know why the bill was put up in the first place. The bill itself was defeated because the reps that wrote it were persuaded to bring it up by the staff itself and they too didn’t know the issues.
After a week of pure hell I got out of there. I was treated like garbage.
If the state news would like to hear what actually happened, I would be more than happy to tell them the story.
Baba
(04/22/09 8:46am)Report
Wow, this is crazy.
Not Chris Kulesza
(04/22/09 12:14pm)Report
Wahhhhhhh, people were mean to me. I didn’t do any work all year and somebody actually called me on it. That’s not fair! Wahhhhhhh, I never actually communicated with my staff and they had a problem with that. I was so persecuted!
Chris Kulesza
(04/22/09 12:56pm)Report
Whats said is you obviously arent a part of ASMSU because you would have known what kind of work that I did a and all of the things I accomplished. Whats even more sad is the kind of immaturity you just showed in your comment.
Look Ahead
(04/22/09 1:57pm)Report
Chris, i’m sorry it seems some people didnt give you the respect you deserved or were childish, that is really crappy. This, however isnt the best way to deal with the situation. Move ahead to new and better things and dont look back. You’ll be much better off. Their loss.
Concerned Spartan
(04/22/09 3:18pm)Report
As someone who observed the situation no one forced Chris out, Chris is supposedly a grown man, if he did not want to leave he could have chosen to stay. Chris could have chosen to stay if he truly believed he did no wrong, him leaving showed guilt on some level, forget the ‘what’s best for the organization’ excuse. He continuously claims that he did not know what was going on or why there was such conflict. If he did not understand that, he did not see conflict then he is truly blind and he has no place working in any leadership position. Truly being a leader means understanding your faults and being able to overcome them, be the bigger person and trying to work things out. If Chris had stayed things could have been worked out but he chose to cry, complain and scream at everyone like a child instead of acting like an adult. Tearing down the organization that you swore to work for in an effort to help students is really telling of Chris’ ability to be the bigger person. ASMSU is a great organization that really tries to help students. All this drama, completely unnecessary and unimportant in the grand scheme of what ASMSU does. Without Chris the organization will still do its job.
Chris Kulesza
(04/22/09 3:28pm)Report
To the person who said look ahead, you are right I should.
To the person who calls themselves “Concerned Spartan”, you must realize a few things. One, I was being told by the people that had the issues with me that they refused to sit down and talk to me about the issues and tell me what they were. If they were the bigger people they would have acted like adults, not refuse to sit down and talk to me about it, and not demand to not come into the office for 3 days.
As well, everywhere I turned, people were demanding my resignation on staff, citing it would be “easier and better for the organization if I did”. Only after I resigned did people tell me I should have stayed on.
They also you must realize as well I was not the only person the people ASMSU was after. As I sat in the office, the same group of people that wanted me out was plotting to get rid of others.
ASMSU creates drama itself. I don’t need to tell you that.
Chris Kulesza
(04/22/09 3:30pm)Report
*You must realize I was not the only person they were after. As I sat in the office, the same group of people that wanted me out was plotting to get rid of others.
FYI
(04/22/09 4:46pm)Report
Mr. Kulesza,
Just to get a few things straight. Your job performance was most definitely under review. The request to review you did not come from ASMSU staff, it came from the assembly, the assembly that supervises you as an employee and has the right and the obligation to review you. The only staff that participated in the formulation of that bill was Academic Assembly staff and representatives. In fact they met for several weeks prior to the bill being introduced to discuss difficulties they were continuing to have with you as Chair. No other staff participated in those meetings. It was only after the bill had been drafted that other staff were asked if they would speak about their experiences with you to provide additional insight for the assembly. It is sad to see that you don’t even know the scope of the problems surrounding your tenure as Chair, could that have been part of the problem? You’re inability to recognize issues, hear what others are saying to you, and respond in any meaningful way caused a great deal of discord. I wish you well, but it’s time to move on, learn from this experience, and find another hobby.
M. Griffin
(04/22/09 6:31pm)Report
Kudos to Chris for being the only one with the balls to post his name. Why don’t the rest of you want to be associated with your words?
But to all of you: I’m sure you’ve heard what they say about arguing on the internet- I’d quote for you, but I’d rather not offend anyone who’s participated in the Special Olympics by comparing them to you.
Chris Kulesza
(04/22/09 7:01pm)Report
One last comment and I will be done here.
Some of my staff met with me the day the bill was introduced and claimed they didnt know about it until 30 mins before the meeting.
Enough said.
Lippi
(04/22/09 8:38pm)Report
You people should grow the hell up!! Yall didnt want to elect him as a chair, so now please leave him the hell alone! I just feel like this is childish because this is not the place to beef!!! I’m 100% positive that most of the people putting comment here are part of ASMSU.
Chris: Kudos to you!! my advice to you is that people are hated just because of pure jealousy!!! trust me, if you are doing a great job and you have a great future ahead of you, people are going to hate you. Relax and learn from you mistakes.
Chris: I’m so sorry for you because, wherever you go, this thing is going to follow you! you are on GOOGLE, YAHOO …
To all of you from ASMSU: If you have balls post your name! don’t be chickens: If you point your finger at someone, remember there are 3 more pointing at you!
sigh
(04/22/09 11:09pm)Report
Seriously people, enough is enough. Lets all move on to productive things and stop the finger pointing. Whats done is done. Move on everyone, nothing to see here.
Bucky Clinger
(04/23/09 12:54am)Report
ASMSU Central Staff are a bunch of lazy poltroons. They have the collective intelligence of the dumbest baptist preacher in Arkansas, and I would not trust them to clean my toenails.