A lmost a week ahead of schedule, the University of Colorado Student Union's (UCSU) recently elected DRIVE representatives have opened up the floor to fill in the rest of the organization's positions.

"Everything is up and running," Dustin Farivar, incoming UCSU Tri-Executive told the Colorado Daily on Thursday. "We have all of the positions available. People are applying, we are ratifying all of the job positions tonight and we will hopefully start interviewing people next week."

Farivar and running mates Victoria Garcia and Ryan Biehle are running a bit ahead of schedule given the fact that, although they were sworn into office early last month, they don't technically step in as acting Tri-Executives until May 8. According to Farivar, however, it's just a sign of their eagerness to begin.

"We're open to all ideas that students have. If they want to see something happen, we want to provide a platform to make it happen," he said.

With 27 student government positions waiting to be applied for -- many of which, such as the various boards, are open to multiple seats -- there are plenty of opportunities for students to voice their opinions and lobby for positive change.

Available positions range from Chief of Staff – whose job description includes monitoring staff progress and facilitating collaboration between the staff and the Tri-Executives, among a host of other responsibilities and qualifications – to Director of Diversity Affairs, members of the Disabilities Access Task Force, the Cultural Events Board and many more.

At the time of the interview, Farivar said that 10 applications had been submitted in the 48 hours following the UCSU’s announcement. Although that number may jump steadily once students start getting word of the openings, the DRIVE Tri-Execs remain committed to taking as much time to find the right people as necessary.

“UCSU is only as strong as the students who are involved, and we want to make sure that we are pulling from the most diverse, well qualified and driven applicants looking forward to make progress on this campus,” said Farivar.

CU Spokesperson Bronson Hilliard, though unaffiliated with the UCSU, noted the benefits of students participating in the organization as an extra-curricular activity.

“It’s a great chance for students to see how government works,” he said. “You work with legislation, you serve a student constituency, you learn to manage money and public affairs — it’s a very good real-world experience.”

In fact, experience in the UCSU has proven to translate well into careers after graduation, according to Farivar.

“There have been a number of UCSU students who have gone on to do wonderful things in both the public and private sector – locally, at the state level, nationally and internationally,” he said. “We have seen people who are involved in the UCSU contribute back to CU, the state of Colorado, and really find a niche where they can develop and push their passion.”

Among these USCU alumni are Hank Brown, the 21st President of the University of Colorado – and the first former student body president of CU to rise to the position. Dan Caplis, as well, served as student-body president before moving on to found the law firm Caplis & Deasy, LLC and host the radio show “Caplis and Silverman” on 630 KHOW. Jill Hanaeur served as a Tri-Exec in the ‘80s before becoming active as a Custodian for the Alliance for Colorado’s Families, Co-Chair of the NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Inc. Board of Directors, and Executive Director of the Interfaith Alliance.

There are a host of other examples of students using the UCSU as a springboard into successful careers, but according to Farivar, the initial appeal for most students remains the same.

“They are involved in the day-to-day activities of UCSU and working with administration and students to grow our programs, to strengthen our voice, and to make progress,” he said. “It provides an opportunity to really have a say for students and what is going on.”

Available positions range from Chief of Staff Contact Lance Vaillancourt about this story at (303) 443-6272 ext. 125, or at vaillancourt@coloradodaily.com.