It is that time again, to scramble through applicants, watch their campaigns, and elect new officers for the Associated Student Government. There are 12 position openings within the Executive Board, Student Representatives, Judicial Board, and Legislative committee. The applications are due April 7, and voting will begin on April 28 at the ASG barbeque, continuing through May 7.
The hiring committee will consist of the assistant dean of student programs; chair of the ASG election committee; two BCC college staff or faculty; as well as two ASBCC officers or students at large. As of now, the ASG members involved in the process include; Faisal Jaswal, chair of the election committee; John Daniel Peppe, ASG chief justice; Chapman Chung, ASG marketing and public relations representative; Romish Ahmad, ASG associate justice of internal affairs; and Bernard Luke, ASG associate justice of external
affairs.
The positions available for the Executive Board: President, Vice president of finance and communication.
The positions available for Student Representative: Club and programs Representative, Emerging technology and entrepreneurial representative, Environment and social responsibility representative, Marketing and public relations representative.
The positions available for the Judicial Board: Chief justice Associate justice of external affairs Associate justice of internal affairs.
The positions available for the Legislative Committee: Director of legislative affairs, Assistant director of legislative affairs.
The application process began on March 16 and the deadline is April 7.
To encourage a high number of applicants, ASG has posted banners, and posters, sent an email to all of Bellevue Community college, as well as notices on the BCC Facebook page, and an ad in the Jibsheet. The advertisements were placed to encourage people to not only get involved in applying for one of the jobs, but also to be a part of the experience and vote.
ASG member John Daniel Peppe got started in the program by a former member, “I met a nice lady in associate justice, [Kelsey Elaine Neils] she encouraged me to get involved,” said Peppe. Since word of mouth got Peppe started, he agreed that an effective action for getting people started is going to classes and spreading the details of the election and the ASG.
“We encourage people to get involved with the school anywhere on campus, whether it be starting a club or joining one, or internships, and of course running for office,” said Peppe.
“Most people want to get involved, they just don’t know where to get started,” said Chapman Chung, ASG marketing and public relations representative.
Plenty of students have already been taking advantage of the opportunities around them. “Many students have came to Student Programs without us seeking them out, just to ask about ASG and everything it entails and what they can do to be a part of it. Even in the middle of the year when we don’t advertise, students will hear about it and become interested,” said Peppe.
The application process includes two letters of recommendation from BCC staff, faculty, or administration, as well as, a letter of intent that address the skills and strengths the applicant brings to the board. They also will include answers to several questions of teamwork, their personal experiences, how they are currently involved on campus, and the impact that diversity has had on their life. Different positions hold different requirements.
The bylaws state that the applicant must have the requirements met by the end of the spring quarter. This is a change from last year, when the requirements were to have been met by the end of winter quarter, before the beginning of the election. Students running this year must at least show how they plan to meet the requirements before the end of spring quarter.
“I believe that the turn out in students running will be higher than previous years) and hold a more competitive front, with a larger group of highly qualified applicants,” said Peppe.
Applications and required documents are to be submitted to the student programs front desk by 5 pm April 7 at the Student Programs / Student Government office in C-212. The office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. For more information, call 425-564-2413.
Once the deadline passes, the elimination process begins. All applications will be forwarded onto the election committee. The election committee will assess and review applications and information provided by each applicant. If the applicants do not meet the minimum requirements, they will be disqualified. Candidate orientations will be April 14 and April 15 and the campaigning will start after the final candidate orientation.
The ASG barbeque will be held on April 28 to kick off the election. At the barbeque candidates will have volunteer opportunities and the ASG will be providing free burgers and snacks to promote the election. As stated by ASG the barbeque is one of the best opportunities to reach out to fellow students for the candidates. The voting will end May 7, to ensure enough time for students to review the candidates and make a knowledgeable decision. Finally, the results will be announced May 8, when it will be posted on the ASG website, and printed in the Jibsheet to welcome the new hires.
To prepare the officers-elect for their new responsibilities and to familiarize them with the background of ASG, they will have a mentoring period, attend a training retreat camp, Camp Casey Leadership, and be directed to the training binders in office that are updated each year to answer further questions or concerns.
Each year is a new year, and prior ASG members must also re-run for their desired positions. ASG members that want to stay involved are encouraged to not simply reprise their position, but to advance in the opportunities of a new position, adding in what they have already learned. “Experience and change is one of the many great abilities one can bring to the student government,” said Peppe.
The ASG has put in countless numbers of hours trying to ensure that the turnout for this years election is grand, and that everyone that has an interest will be aware of the dates, responsibility and actions taking place. They have also provided encouragement to the student body as a whole to get involved. “Take some time to learn about the candidates, and about the responsibilities they will carry and how their decisions could be a great advantage to your [BCC students] lives here on campus, then vote,” said Peppe.