Editor’s Note:
Early last week, ASUI President Austin Karstetter announced his resignation from office. His chief of staff, Bailey Thomas, said Karstetter had an opportunity arise that he could not pass up.
“It was a very hard decision for him to make,” Thomas said.
As of Monday, Thomas will be standing in as ASUI president until Cruz Botello, the ASUI vice president, is able to take up office for the fall semester begins.
Thomas said the platforms and goals Karstetter and Botello campaigned with will continue.
For (former) ASUI president Austin Karstetter, it all started in high school.
Karstetter said he wasn’t always as outgoing as he is now. Until high school, Karstetter attended a private school in his hometown of Quincy, Washington. His parents decided to enroll him in public high school, which made Karstetter feel like a fish out of water.
“I went from a class size of like eight to one of 300,” Karstetter said. “It was a huge shock.”
Karstetter said he was shy at first and his advisor suggested he participate in drama classes to become more confident. Karstetter said his mother, who was always very involved, also encouraged him.
Nick Eastman-Pratt | Argonaut
Former ASUI President Austin Karstetter discusses his goals for the upcoming academic year, as well as advice to incoming students.
During his senior year of high school, Karstetter was the ASB vice president of his school and has since participated in several organizations on campus and risen to leadership roles with them. Karstetter said he held a leadership role in his fraternity Phi Gamma Delta — FIJI — as well as in organizations such as Student Alumni Relations Board, Homecoming Committee, the Moscow Chamber and ASUI senate. Finally, the senior organizational science major was elected ASUI president during the spring semester.
Karstetter said he wasn’t originally going to apply to UI. He said he was looking into colleges based on how involved students could get. Karstetter’s aunt was a Vandal, which was what originally brought him to the campus. Once he got to Moscow, Karstetter said he knew it was where he wanted to go to school.
“I like how personable UI is,” Karstetter said. “I asked ‘how do I get involved?’ And my first step was joining a fraternity.”
Once he was elected ASUI president, Karstetter said he had to step down from some of his other roles in order to devote his time to students at ASUI.
Karstetter said the ASUI president is the face of student government on campus. It is his job to hear what students want and to try to give them what they want. Karstetter said he attends many meetings, but he also tries to fix any problems brought forward by students or administrators. He said he hopes to show students what ASUI is this year.
One of the goals for this year is to bring the Idaho student association back together, to unite students from across the state. Karstetter said he wants to link up with Boise State and Idaho State in order to work together as a collective student group on bigger projects, especially on the three big things Karstetter wants to focus on. He said his focus this year will be on college affordability, mental health and sexual assault on campus.
A platform that is already in the works is a bill for mandating professors use open source textbooks to make college a little more affordable. Karstetter said he and his team are working with Emily Tuschoff at Vandal Health to increase awareness about student mental health. One of the things Karstetter said he is looking to change is 8 a.m. classes and creating sleep spaces on campus, since students are getting less sleep now than ever before. Karstetter said he also plans to relaunch the “It’s on Us” campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus.
Other changes Karstetter is implementing to ASUI is an addition of three cabinet positions for ambassadors from the satellite campuses in Couer D’Alene, Idaho Falls and Boise. He said he hopes this will bring issues from the other campuses to ASUI and the administration’s attention.
“We are all Vandals,” Karstetter said. “The focus shouldn’t just be on the Moscow campus.”
One of the things Karstetter said is most important to himself and his vice president Cruz Botello, is having an open door policy. Karstetter said he plans to be accessible most of the time and transparent with anyone who comes in asking questions. He said that one of the things that drives him crazy about government is not knowing what is going one, so he hopes to remedy that during his term.
“We are always willing to do whatever we can to help,” Karstetter said.
Karstetter said he advises new students to avoid 8 a.m. classes, but on a serious note encourages students to get involved. He said he believes involvement is important for students. It works as a resume builder as well as helps students network.
“People think they can’t be involved, but there are so many opportunities,” Karstetter said. “I have met people I would never have met otherwise.”
Claire Whitley
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