After several years of inactivity, student body presidents from universities across the state have decided to reestablish the Colorado Student Association (CSA). The CSA is a statewide body whose board is to be composed of Colorado university student body presidents “who wish to represent their constituents on the state level,” according to CMU ASG President Ariel Diamond.

Historically, the CSA served Colorado higher education students by working with the Colorado General Assembly and the Colorado Commission on Higher Learning in order to ensure that student voices were being heard by state legislators in regards to financial aid, transfer credits, tuition, higher education funding, and program selection. However, the CSA dissolved nearly a decade ago due to an overly complicated system of operations, according to Diamond.

By drafting a new constitution for the CSA and developing new governance and procedures, the revamped Colorado Student Association can avoid the pitfalls that plagued its predecessors, Diamond indicated.

“We hope that by getting this group back together, the students of Colorado can gain a stronger voice in expressing their wills in legislation that affects them directly,” Diamond said.

The decision to revive the CSA came after a weekend gathering of Colorado higher education student governments at the 2013 Colorado Conference, which was organized by Associated Students of Colorado State University.

Five executives from CMU ASG traveled to Denver Saturday to attend the conference, where they met with student government executives from Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University (Fort Collins and Pueblo), Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Northern Colorado.

“It is so interesting to sit in the same circle as the student body presidents of CSU, Mines, CU and Fort Lewis to talk about issues affecting our students and what we can do to make needed changes,” Diamond said.

Diamond was accompanied to the conference by Director of External Affairs Chelsea Chiovitti, Student Trustee Michelle Dusterdick, Director of Communications Caleb Ferganchick and Vice President Ashley Pulido. Though the 2013 Colorado Conference ran through the weekend of Oct. 25 and 26, executives from CMU ASG were only able to attend the Saturday sessions so as to ensure their presence at Friday’s Homecoming festivities.

‘We wanted to be home for the carnival and bonfire, but the hours we were there were extremely productive,” Diamond said of the conference.

Colorado university student body presidents interested in joining the restored Colorado Student Association will be participating in a webinar November 10 to discuss outreach to other student governments as well as the establishment of a new constitution. From there, according to Diamond, “the presidents can reach an agreement on the constitution, and [the CSA] can get up and running.”

cblackme@mavs.coloradomesa.edu