Although the Associated Students of Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Boulder Student Government differ in terms of organization, funding and procedure, among other things, they share the capability of serving students independently of university administration. This allows concerned students to advocate for their peers free from university interests and gives future political hopefuls valuable experience in a government setting.
Additionally, ASCSU and CUSG share similar membership totals, oversee many equivalent boards and programs and garner strikingly close student engagement figures, with just over 11% of their respective student populations voting in the most recent election cycle.
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The similarities may as well end there.
The most glaring disparity between ASCSU and CUSG is the amount of funding each organization manages. ASCSU, with the involvement of independent student boards like the Student Fee Review Board and the Board for Student Organization Funding, oversees an annual budget of $57 million. CUSG allocates over $34 million annually, also with input from the Student Organization Allocations Committee and the Finance Board. As a result, ASCSU is better equipped to fulfill funding requests from student organizations, fund legislative programs and organize campus events.
As far as government structure is concerned, ASCSU can be described as traditional, with a single president overseeing the executive cabinet, a speaker of the senate managing the legislative branch and a chief justice heading the judicial branch’s supreme court. In contrast, CUSG employs a tri-executive system that sees three candidates run on a presidential ticket and a legislative branch with liaisons from the aforementioned student boards in addition to student senators.
ASCSU President Nick DeSalvo touted ASCSU’s independent employment of contract lobbyist firm Bowditch & Cassell Public Affairs as one of the organization’s most valuable assets and said it sets ASCSU apart from CUSG and other comparable student governments.
“We have our own individual lobbyist for ASCSU that’s always fighting for student interests and ASCSU’s interests first,” DeSalvo said. “If you’re utilizing a lobbyist that’s paid for by your administration, they’re going to have other considerations in mind.”
ASCSU’s connection to state-level politics proved especially useful in successfully advocating for the removal of occupancy limits statewide. Organized by the Colorado Student Government Coalition — a collection of representatives from student governments across Colorado — the effort to pass HB24-1007 was significantly aided by the involvement of ASCSU’s lobbyist, DeSalvo said.
The coalition also partnered on efforts to eliminate sales tax on college textbooks, although the legislation ultimately failed in committee.
CUSG’s external Student Body President Alex Radz defended the organization’s relationship with university administration and emphasized CUSG’s continued involvement with the CSGC.
“We’re unique in how autonomous we are,” Radz said. “We help oversee a $34 million budget with very little oversight from administration, who we happen to have a really positive relationship with.”
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As with most government bodies, the legislative branches of ASCSU and CUSG have the most direct impact on students. In the previous year alone, ASCSU passed legislation providing funding for campus pocket pantries, gender-affirming clothing, emergency contraceptives and disabled student transportation. Funding was pulled from the Senate Discretionary Fund, which is annually allotted $100,000 from the main budget.
Speaker of the Senate Hayden Taylor said he believes the Senate Discretionary Fund grants passionate and dedicated senators the ability to help students on a more immediate level.
“The senate alone has $100,000, so people can identify issues that they see on campus and then allocate funding to solve them,” Taylor said. “I think that makes ASCSU really effective.”
CUSG’s legislative council has yet to convene for the 2024-25 academic year, although Student Body President Tyler Rowan said he hopes reforms to the elections code can be achieved by the legislative body.
Radz and Rowan also expressed interest in future collaborations with ASCSU.
“We know our schools are rivals, but we’re really excited to come together and work to improve the lives of all Colorado students,” Radz said.
Reach Sam Hutton at news@collegian.com or on Instagram @sam_hut14.
