Associated Students, Inc. offers scholarships to students each year, but one official said that many students are not aware of them.
Valerie Kelsey, CSULB coordinator of university scholarships, said only 21 Cal State Long Beach students applied for the scholarships in spring 2010.
“Although we publicize the scholarships through e-mails, flyers and the Center for Scholarship Information’s website, we don’t receive as many applications as we would like because many students are simply not aware of these scholarship opportunities,” Kelsey said. “Each year, we utilize new advertisement strategies to gain more attention on the availability of scholarships for CSULB students.”
Some students think that the ASI scholarships and awards are not publicized enough.
“I believe the problem is also that ASI is failing to promote these scholarships out to every student on campus,” said Piero Sandoval, who served as senator-at-large for ASI in 2008-09.
He also said that senators fail to inform students about scholarship opportunities.
“A solution for this problem could be that ASI should not rely on senators and college councils to promote these opportunities to students and they should find other ways to make sure everyone on campus knows about them,” Sandoval said. “This will ensure that enough competitive students apply and make these scholarships more evenly distributed.”
Cal State Fullerton’s ASI clerical assistant, Julia Martinez, said that their turnout for last spring was much higher than CSULB’s, saying that 170 students applied for nine different ASI scholarships at CSU Fullerton.
“I found out about the ASI scholarships after I was already holding a position on ASI,” CSULB AS Leadership scholar Jamil Aslam said.
“They are a great way to reward those students who get involved on campus,” Aslam added.
According to CSULB’s website, during the 2006 school year, ASI made the initiative to create more scholarship opportunities for students outside of ASI.
“I honestly don’t think most students know about them and how simple it is to apply,” said Bernadette Hunter.
Hunter said that she searched for scholarships on her own during her last semester as an accounting major and was awarded an AS Leadership scholarship.
Due to budget cuts, ASI scholarships and awards have been limited to only the spring semester.
“The scholarships and awards that are available to help students in a variety of ways: they help recognize the various achievements of students, and when scholarships are designated, honor the students who receive them with a monetary award,” ASI treasurer Jameson Nyeholt said.
“These awards also provide students an opportunity to show they have been recognized for achievements on their resumes when they prepare for their careers in the future,” Nyeholt added.
To apply for an ASI scholarship and award for spring 2011, CSULB students can visit the Center for Scholarship Information website for more information.
The university’s website, csulb.edu, states that ASI has offered scholarships and awards since 2001 to support students who have shown involvement in the community and campus.
For spring 2011, four AS Leadership Scholarships, one Christina Speaker Scholarship and one Stuart L. Farber Endowed Merit Scholarship — each a $1,000 value — will be awarded.
“One is for elected officials, one is for anyone involved in ASI and one is open to all CSULB students involved in leadership,” Kelsey said.
Some student leadership roles include being officers of campus organizations and clubs.
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