Editor’s Note: The Collegian collaborated with CTV Channel 11 on this interview. Full interviews for all of the speaker of the senate candidates are available on the CTV 11 YouTube page. 

Rithik Correa is running for Associated Students of Colorado State University speaker of the senate on a platform of vision, action and results. Correa is a junior majoring in computer science and minoring in economics and has been a senator for the Office of International Programs for about eight months.

In an interview with CTV, Correa spoke about how he decided to run for speaker of the senate because he’d like to step up to make an even larger impact on CSU. According to Correa, he knows the ASCSU constitution, bylaws and job descriptions well. Correa has read bills and resolutions from the past four years on ASCSU’s website and has watched recordings of past senate sessions.

“I have a vision, I want to work on it and I want to produce results,” Correa said.

Correa also spoke about the challenges this year’s senate has faced, speaking about how it’s been problematic and tiresome, as well as how he believes the ASCSU senate should be neutral in its political views.

“I have this vision of change where students’ voices are heard and the changes that every single student wants to make is actually implemented and not just sidelined.” –Rithik Correa, candidate for speaker of the senate

“I want to make sure that politics is outside senate and we work as a team, and that’s what I want to do as speaker,” Correa said. “I want to ensure that senate works as a team, comes together every Wednesday night — pass bills, pass resolutions, pass … leges.”

According to Correa, ASCSU is a sort of liaison to the Board of Governors, and he’d like to make every voice heard.

“I want everybody’s voices to be heard — regardless of background, regardless of literally anything, I want everybody’s voices to be heard,” Correa said. “I don’t want anybody to be suppressed or put down just for their opinions, which is why I’ve decided to run for speaker of the senate.”

When speaking about issues he believes the student body is facing, Correa said he believes the administration needs to listen more.

“I have this vision of change where students’ voices are heard and the changes that every single student wants to make is actually implemented and not just sidelined,” Correa said. “Even resolutions that ASCSU passes sometimes are just sidelined by the Board of Governors and the president. I would like to request the Board of Governors to pay a little bit more heed to the resolutions that we pass because we pass them because students want it.”

Correa would like to make ASCSU more transparent and make sure students are represented as well.

“The more the students are represented, the more they’ll want to be a part of ASCSU,” Correa said. “And that’s, like, the whole vision I have — that students get involved in ASCSU activities, and that way, we can act on it, and we can deliver results.”

Correa also spoke about his belief that students with disabilities should be given accommodations, including being given proper seating and access to classes. Correa is working on a project to have ASCSU fund more rides to the CSU Health and Medical Center as well.

“I think as ASCSU speaker, I can try to bring those issues up and make campus administration act on it,” Correa said.

While Correa did not receive a vote of confidence from the ASCSU senate March 23, he receive a vote of confidence during a revote at the senate meeting March 30. The senate votes on all speaker of the senate candidates to express their approval of an individual’s candidacy and their ability to do the job.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include the results of the vote of confidence.

Editor’s Note: Read about the other two speaker of the senate candidates Evan Welch and Nicholas DeSalvo.