Portland State science major Lelani Lealiiee has served as vice president for the Associated Students of Portland State University since June 2018. Lealiiee, a senior who plans to attend medical school next year, served with ASPSU for two years.
Lealiiee said her role as vice president is largely internal and managerial. “The president deals with all the outward administration parts of student government. I help manage everything inside,” she said.
According to the ASPSU constitution, the president and vice president are responsible for working together to act as official representatives of the student body and are also tasked with proposing student government projects and campaigns and making hiring and firing decisions for executive staff and directors. The vice president also acts as chair and casts the tie-breaking vote for the student senate.
Lealiiee said she wants to use her position to foster stronger relationships within ASPSU. “What I want is for all of us to become a big community that can [reach out] to students,” she said. “Where students can feel comfortable coming and talking to us about anything, whether they agree or they don’t agree.”
Lealiiee said she sees the vice presidency as a direct support role to a number of campus organizations. Among the projects Lealiiee helps to oversee is Illuminate, PSU’s interpersonal violence prevention program. “I’m very passionate about sexual assault prevention and making sure students understand the resources they have on campus,” she said.
While her role is demanding, Lealiiee said the people she works with keep her driven. “What keeps me motivated is that I’m working with a great team,” she said. “We all have different passions and we’re able to work together to try to create a better campus for everybody.”