Bellevue College’s Associated Student Government is currently preparing for the elections of new ASG officers for the 2015-2016 school year. The applications are open and are due Friday, Mar. 20.
A variety of positions are available and each has its various responsibilities. Since the ASG is responsible for school-wide issues, all of the ASG positions require applicants who are committed to fulfilling the year-long obligation. The ASG also informs the BC students of what the student government is doing as well as help clubs navigate the process of organizing an event.
A majority of the officers’ time is spent in the day-to-day service to other students. Program Coordinator Brandon Lueken said, “the ASG does a lot of actual governance for the college, not just for the students.” He explained, “It’s kind of like being the official student opinion on a variety of topics.” Officers also lead tours throughout campus and help allocate funds for clubs and programs.
“It’s more of a call to help do things,” said Lueken.
In addition to the academic requirement of maintaining a 2.7 cumulative GPA and continuing to take 5 credits per quarter, candidates must also have previously taken 12 or 24 credits, based on the position sought.
Lueken said the ASG is looking for students who are committed self-starters. They have had students from all walks of life. “We are looking for someone who really wants to get involved at BC and wants to help others.” There are 11 ASG positions for the 2015-2016 year. The president and vice president positions are active speaking positions and they each have their own responsibilities. The president serves as the chair of the official board of director meetings and as a liason with the administrators. There are multiple vice president positions which have their specific responsibilities such as budget management, diversity support or external legislative affairs.
There are also four representative positions and a judicial board. The representatives handle their designated responsibilities such as environmental and social issues, marketing and public relations as well as campus life and events. The judicial board works to uphold the constitution and bylaws that pertain to ASG.
Campus Life and Events Representative Maria Jimenez describes her job as “not too serious but not too boring. You learn a lot of leadership skills and are put to work in teams so it’s really important for you to have a positive mindset.”
Applications for the positions are posted on the ASG website and must be submitted before March 20. Chosen candidates will receive campaign training from April 13 to April 15 and campaigning will begin on April 16.
Each candidate will have a few minutes to give a short speech introducing themselves, their goals and their qualifications. There will be two debates on April 17 and 23 for students to familiarize themselves with the best candidate. Voting will be on April 23 with an election BBQ to encourage student participation and will close on May 1. The announcements will be made on May 5.
ASG officers aim to connect the BC students with projects such as the food pantry. Officers work on average 16 to 19 hours a week and make $12 per hour.