Bellevue College held its annual election for Associated Student Government (ASG) president the week of April 29. Candidate turnout was low for this election; one student ran for the president position and there were no candidates for the position of vice president. Our current president and vice president are getting ready to transfer and therefore cannot serve again next year although both said that they enjoyed their respective roles.
The ASG is an important part of student life on campus and is the only official channel that students have to make major changes on campus. According to Bellevue College’s website “You (BC students) become a member of the Associated Students of Bellevue College when you register for a class at Bellevue College. ASG (Associated Student Government) represents your interests and work to foster student life. ASG has a legislative arm, OSLA, which actively pursues legislative change.”
Emmanuel Tshimanga, who worked as lead coordinator for student services and has attended Bellevue College for multiple years is the only candidate running for the position of ASG president for next year. He said he was “surprised” that weren’t more students wanting to represent the Bellevue College student body. He further notes that as far as he knows, “the positions that are not filled will still be open until filled. Few positions are not elected and hopefully [students will be hired] for those. [ASG] will try to work as a team and make sure that the job is done. After the vote closes, the committee in charge will publish or announce the winner and there will be a transition period for the incoming government to learn from the ones leaving!”
On his candidate bio page, which is available on Canvas, Tshimanga explains why he feels he is a good fit for the position and what his plans are. He explained that in his time at Bellevue College he has worked in the Office of Student Programs, served on the S&A Committee for funds allocation and worked as the BC governance liaison for the student council.
Tshimanga expressed his high hopes for his time in office and explained that he is planning to tackle a variety of issues. “My main goal while in office will be to work hard and increase community involvement in activities and student life in general.” He also stated that he wants to improve transportation and parking on campus.
Roles with the ASG are often cited as good resume builders as they are paid positions where students help decide what happens with large sums of money. This small turnout is not typical at Bellevue College. Any interested students can visit the ASG website at https://studentweb.bellevuecollege.edu/asg/ to read through the minutes from some recent meetings and learn more about these positions.
Photo by Penny Yeh, The Watchdog