ASDC vacancies threaten student representation

As of Feb. 2, 2023, the Associated Students of Delta College only listed five officers for its Spring 2023 lineup. They are, from left, President Brandon Lopez, Treasurer Gilberto Ramalho, Senator of Public Relations Sammy Jimenez, and Student Trustee Fabian Molina. Senator at Large #1 is listed as Viviene Fabro, but no image is included on the ASDC section of the Delta College website.

Delta College finds itself without a full board of elected student officials for Spring 2023, with six positions open, including Vice President and Secretary.
Applications to fill the vacancies are being accepted through Feb. 7.

Given that elections happen every Spring and are intended for officers to hold a minimum term of one year, this raises questions. What happened to our student government?

“There was a voluntary resignation with previously appointed officers which was mutually agreed upon. As the Director, it is my role to keep the ship going even if circumstances like this occur in order to have the least impact on services in my program areas,” said Shayla Walker, Director of Student Activities when asked why these vital campus roles became suddenly vacant.

According to the Associated Students of Delta College (ASDC) page on the main Delta College website, the governing body is “responsible for providing student input on College decisions that impact students, including Campus facilities, District policies and procedures, Curriculum, Student equity, and the District budget.”

The students are leaders who sit in meetings for committees that help run campus. Their presence represents the student body.
That presence is essentially missing in governance without more representatives.

If you’ve checked your student-email inbox within the last month, you may have noticed an email from ASDC, asking for students to apply for the vacant positions.

The first of these emails came on Nov. 2 of last semester: “We are is currently accepting applications for the following position(s): Senator at Large.”
The deadline was set to fill this vacancy by Nov. 10.

The next email asking for applicants was sent Nov. 30. This time the inquiry was not only for the Senator at Large position, but seven additional seats had then become available.
“The Associated Students of Delta College(ASDC) is accepting applications for eight (8) positions! The deadline to submit an application is Thursday, Dec. 8,” the email stated.

The email listed these vacant positions:
Secretary, Treasurer, Senator of Activities, Senator of College and Community Relations, Senator of Legislative Affairs, Senator of Public Relations, and two (2) Senator at Large positions.

All ASDC public documents found in the archives available on the San Joaquin College ASDC web page under ‘Meetings’, through Oct. 17, 2022 show full occupancy of its officers. In an agenda document titled ‘ASDC Agenda (October 31 2022)(1).pdf’, the record shows the first vacancy that appeared was: Senator of Legislative Affairs, a seat previously held by Viridiana Gonzalez.

By Nov. 28, only three sitting members remained according to the ASDC Nov. 28 meeting minutes.

By January 2023, the roster showed two remaining elected officials, and has since added two new appointed candidates to the board. The document shows only four out of eleven positions occupied.
The most recent email sent was on Jan. 24 again soliciting applications for seven open positions with a Feb. 7 deadline.

“The ASDC is also responsible for approving the distribution of funds collected through the Student Activity fee to support student clubs/organizations, campus events coordinated by the Student Activities office and ASDC programs and services,” according to its home on the Delta College website.

Walker elaborated on the critical roles and responsibilities of these leaders.
“The ASDC officers serve on campus shared governance committees, coordinate events and activities to promote campus life, and advocate for Delta students locally and statewide. ASDC Services and Events:
The Mustang Pass (Issue Delta College ID Cards), Monthly College Hour, Food 4 Thought, Holiday Meal Giveaway, Townhalls, Meet & Greets, ASDC Community Scholarships, Mustang BBQ, Shared Governance Committees, Student Leadership Conferences, Fundraising, Blood Drive, Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) advocacy,” according to Walker.

Given ASDC’s vital role on campus which includes the aforementioned services, what can students expect with a government that is nearly all absent?
These duties and services come at no small cost as well. The most recent document shows a total budget of $89,400 for the fiscal year of 2020-2021.

At Club Rush this week, Student Activities Coordinator Cassie Findlay, noted the importance of the governing body, particularly as “they advocate on behalf of students here on Delta’s campus.” The meetings, she noted, are open “which means [any current] students can attend them.”
Findlay expressed hopes of getting all the seats appointed.
“…we’re trying to set a full board,” she said.

For the sake of student voice and representation, we hope so too.