ASI Ad Hoc Committee Advances Student Governance Through Cross-Campus Collaboration

San Luis Obispo, CA — Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) announces the successful completion of the ASI Cal Maritime Integration Ad Hoc Committee, a year-long, student-led effort to support the integration of Cal Poly and Cal Maritime. 

Established in April 2025, the ad hoc committee brought together student leaders from both campuses to guide the development of a unified student governance structure. Over the course of a year and 25 public meetings, members worked to ensure that student perspectives remained central as integration efforts progressed. 

The committee served as a primary advisory body to key stakeholders, including the ASI Board of Directors, the ASCMA Board of Directors, and university leadership at both campuses. In this role, members engaged in ongoing collaboration, provided feedback on strategic initiatives, and helped shape the governance framework that will support the integrated university. 

“CPMA’s voice was represented very well throughout the process,” said Carlos Arencibia, ASCMA President. “There was a strong sense of collaboration and openness, with everyone working toward solutions that benefited students and the campus community as a whole.” 

For committee leadership, building trust across campuses was a deliberate and ongoing effort. “I made it a top priority to earn the committee’s trust as a fair and reliable facilitator,” said Jett Palmer, Chair of the Committee. “I did this by making a significant upfront investment in relationship building and creating as many opportunities as possible for both myself and the San Luis Obispo student leaders to learn from the Maritime Academy student leaders.” 

Through its work, the ad hoc committee developed and advanced three major deliverables that collectively operationalize student governance integration: 

• A Shared Governance Model, outlining a unified framework for student representation. Read the Shared Governance blog post. 
• A set of Responsibility Guides, defining new student leadership roles.  
• A comprehensive set of ASI Bylaws amendments, formally operationalizing the integration. 

Throughout the process, the committee navigated complex organizational, legal, and structural considerations. Shifts in the legal pathway, from a proposed merger to a dissolution process, required the committee to adapt its approach while continuing to advance its core goal toward a compliant, mutually beneficial governance model. 

“Over time, the committee became more familiar with each other’s campuses’ norms, procedures, and culture,” said Alyson Engel, committee member. “This often led to quicker and more efficient work during our meetings. Members also became attuned to which topics and issues we were each interested in, and those would be brought up for people to give feedback on more often throughout time.” 

The committee recommended updates to the ASI Bylaws that were reviewed and approved by the ASI Board of Directors. These updates solidify ASI’s commitment to including Maritime Academy students in its corporate governance and student government programming structure. Beginning July 1, 2026, Maritime Academy students will be formally incorporated as members of ASI, with representation embedded across governing branches. 

The committee recommended establishing the ASI Maritime Academy Council (AMAC) as a fourth branch that serves as a recommending body to the ASI Board of Directors and connects Maritime Academy students to student government. 

The AMAC is composed of two primary leadership roles: the Chair and Vice Chair, each working collaboratively to represent and advocate for students at the Cal Poly Maritime Academy. The Chair of the AMAC provides overall leadership, oversight, and coordination of the Council, serving as the primary liaison between students, university administration, and ASI governance structures. The Vice Chair of the AMAC supports the Chair in executing Council responsibilities and helps maintain internal communication and continuity with other branches of Student Government. These two lead the AMAC members, who serve as the broader representative body of the Council, actively engaging with the student population, identifying needs and concerns, and contributing to advocacy efforts, programming, and initiatives that support the Cal Poly Maritime Academy community. These roles ensure consistent student representation, shared governance participation, and effective advancement of student-focused priorities across campus. 

“The work of the ad hoc committee laid the groundwork and built the platform for Maritime students to be a part of the Cal Poly student experience and express their voice,” said Karl Nordhoff, committee member. “We created several ASI positions that put Maritime students in the rooms, at the tables, and in the conversations where decisions that will affect them are made.” 

As the integration moves forward, leaders emphasized that this work is only the beginning. 

“What we’ve built is the first iteration – not the final product,” said Jett Palmer, “ASI Student Government will continue reassessing and refining these systems in the years ahead.” 

The work of the ad hoc committee reflects ASI’s ongoing commitment to building an inclusive, collaborative, and student-centered governance system that will serve the evolving Cal Poly community for years to come. 

For additional information, contact ASI Student Government at @asistudentgovernment@calpoly.edu or visit ASI Student Government on the ASI website. 

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