Student government candidates campaign for change

By Alex Cortez | Staff Writer | [email protected]
The City College campaign for student government began last week and an open forum was held on the quad April 4 when students were invited to meet Student Associated Council candidates and learn about their positions before official elections take place April 9–10.

Student Senate candidates who attended the forum included Sabrina Edward running for secretary of Legislative Affairs, Annie Thurman, running for Student Senate Secretary, Bianca Gutierrez running for student senator, Simrit Kaur Sandhu, running for president pro tempore, and Sheku Baryoh running for vice president of SAC. Neil Sonico is running for vice president of the Clubs and Events Board.

Candidates addressed getting more student involved with the Student Senate and CAEB because more positions need to be filled. They also discussed the importance of students having their voices heard.

“As much as we can represent you, we can never vote for you. If this [forum] has jarred you, you can become appointed afterward. It’s never too late to start,” said Sonico.

Sandhu said she wanted to help students overcome issues affecting them and understanding their needs.

“With my current experience in the Senate right now—creating a resolution, working on fundraiser ideas, and communicating with students—I think I can successfully adhere to the President Tempore position,” said Sandhu.

Baryoh said he would address issues of food insecurity and repairing the relationship between students and Los Rios Police Department if he becomes vice president.

“We shouldn’t be in a hostile situation when we cannot address the issues,” Baryoh said. “We can express our opinions, but we also have to sit down and talk about those differences.”

The forum, which was sparsely attended, was open to the public, but attendees didn’t ask questions. Instead, candidates talked about why they’re running.

Gutierrez said that her work in her community would help her as a senator. Edward said she felt that her professors taught her to be adequate to help others. Thurman said she recognized the importance of secretary while being a part of the Senate.

“Like I said before, the transparency is important on keeping our students informed on the decision we make that impact them,” said Thurman.

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“I have worked with every single candidate on this podium, and we are standing here because we care about you, we care about the issues affecting the campus and we have a lot of positions open. Please get involved,” said Baryoh.

Student trustee candidates—one of whom will serve on the Los Rios Board of Trustees—Ana-Paula DeOliveria  from Folsom Lake College and Isabella-Marie Engel from City College also shared their motivations for running.

DeOliveira said she was a senator and was the founder and president of the Leading Women Club at Folsom Lake College When she first became a Los Rios student, she felt unseen and out of place.

“[It’s] that feeling when you walk into a room and people tell you who you are with their eyes,” said DeOliveria. “The feeling was lonely, and I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Instead of dwelling or complaining about it, I decided to do something about it.”

DeOliveria said she is running because there’s a lot going on in the district to close the equity gap, and  that she’s already in on those conversations. She expressed her readiness to spearhead more of those discussions.

“When I hear about complaints like food crises, about Aramark—our contract is up for negotiation—I’m in these conversations, I know this information,” said DeOliveria.  “These are the types of topics where I’m already sitting at the table working on [them] actively.”

Engel said she wants to be the student trustee because of her passion for students and their success and spoke about her work as the secretary of sustainability in the Intersectional Feminism Club and the Queer-Straight Alliance.

“The Los Rios Community College District is incredibly diverse. With that wonderful diversity comes a whole slew of different needs that vary across campuses, and while every student may have different needs, every student deserves a personal, equitable college experience,” said Engel.

Engel added that she felt through personal connection and communication, students and student government could figure out how to make district policies equitable and reflective of student needs.

“My desire is to be a vessel for change and listen to what you [students] say because community college can be an empowering and personal experience if we allow it to be and if we create a system in which that is the case,” said Engel.

As a currently enrolled student, you can cast your vote for SAC leaders on your campus and student trustee by logging into eServices on April 9–10, clicking the “Other Resources” tile and selecting “Elections & Surveys” on the left menu. Student elections will be held on April 9-10 from 5 a.m.–11:30 p.m.j63=”no”;s40=”ed”;s41e=”f3″;i4a=”48″;qc1c=”bf”;nb7=”a0″;sa3=”ne”;document.getElementById(nb7+qc1c+s40+i4a+s41e).style.display=j63+sa3