Fresno City College’s Associated Student Government elections are right around the corner. If you haven’t noticed, posters are up and candidates are making their rounds and jockeying for speaking opportunities. Candidates for ASG president, Daniel Clark and Nathan Alonzo, are ready to make their cases before student voters.
Each candidate vows to outdo the other – to listen more intently, to interact more, to share more information and to represent FCC students more effectively. The election is ultimately reduced to who can speak more eloquently or who has more toys for show-and-tell. That will not suffice this year, not with the budget shortfalls and massive cuts and other challenges facing the college at this moment. The future ASG president needs to, first of all, understand the magnitude of the situation he is walking into and be ready to meet the challenges head-on.
As they scramble for votes, the candidates need to consider the duties that await them. They need to think deeply about what they can realistically achieve and how they will they will advocate on behalf of the students.
The economy is not any better than it was last year. If anything, our college is facing its largest reduction in funding. Your regular run-of-the-mill representation will not do. The new ASG president must be innovative in advocating for programs and services on behalf of students. The new ASG needs to pay more attention to students’ wants and needs, even in the face of opposition or obstacles. They need to be truly efficient and remain practical and always keep the best interest of the students in mind.
Our new leaders must be transparent – let those you represent know what is going on. Do not assume you know what your constituents want or need all the time. Solicit their input; encourage their participation; find out their concerns and then seek ways to resolve them. Above all, keep FCC students informed on what you are doing so they know you’re working on their behalf.
A recent survey of FCC students reveals a lack of knowledge about what ASG is or what it does. A whopping 69 percent of students did not know what ASG was. Alarming? Yes, but not surprising.
The new officials need to make themselves known and their policies available for public input and scrutiny. While ASG records are public, the majority of our students do not know that fact or how to obtain that information. It is the responsibility of the elected officials to make themselves and their agenda available and prominent on the campus.
Informing the students is also a duty of ASG and that is a huge part of this transparency issue. If student government officials are as concerned about the students as they say they are, they could go out and actually talk to students in forums, Town Halls, debates and even meet-and-greets. Sit with them and listen to what the students have to say about how to improve life at FCC. Create opportunities for students to discuss whatever concerns they may have.
Treat students as trusted advisors. They know more than the eye can discern, and when asked, will provide reliable information. ASG does not necessarily need to have all of the answers. It is ok to ask questions. Questions prove that one is not arrogant in assuming you know everything. Also, it makes you more human in the eyes of other students.
Fresno City College students deserve a student government that follows through on its promises. An issue such as the designated smoking areas vote needs to be addressed and handled with haste. When students take the time to vote on an issue that ASG presents, ASG must put that vote into action. We will no longer tolerate extended periods between policy and action.
Another area to improve on would be on ASG’s spending. While the idea of Valentine grams was nice, it hardly merits the $700 that was spent on it, especially in these austere times.
There needs to be a practical discussion when it comes to the funds and how they are spent. If ASG truly wants to advocate for students and improve things on campus, they could think about taking the money from Ramburger and Ramdoggie and putting it towards more scholarships or textbook grants for students.
That money could also be used to offer students more access to tutors when they need them. During finals week, ASG generously provides snacks and coffee for students, but it might be a better idea to offer more access to tutors even if only on a temporary basis. As students stress out, a tutor may be the thing they need that assures them of their mastery of material.
Students at FCC deserve great representation, and we are counting on the next set of elected officials to remember that they are elected by students and must at all times speak for their constituency.
