I’ve been on campus intermittently since 2018, and in all of those years, I had no active awareness of the Student Senate and didn’t know anyone else who did. I’d figured there was some sort of student government, but my intrigue ended there. That was remedied however, during the Student Senate of Chabot College’s (SSCC) Meet the Candidates event.
On Monday April 21, the Chabot Student Senate had an event for the current candidates running, to be able to advocate for themselves and answer questions about their qualifications and their vision for policy and how to improve life for students at Chabot. The election is broken down into seven votable positions which include Student Senate President, Student Trustee, VP of Administration, VP of Government Relations, VP of Community Relations, Inter Club Council (ICC) Chair, and At-Large-Representative.
So if you were wondering what the SSCC can do and provide to the college, they give direct financial support to students, clubs, provide resources for speakers and workshops to benefit students, provide resources for campus events like Gladiator Days, and host town halls in order to gauge student concerns and advocate for policy.
According to Savannah Hui who’s running for three positions this election,”The Chabot Student Senate works with students and student leaders while also working with the faculty and administration in order to foster a better community.” The SSCC also works with the Student Senate of California Community Colleges in order to represent students at the state and national levels.
The Student Senate President position is the de jure leader of the of the Student Senate who is ultimately responsible for the Senate, backed up by the VP of Administration.
The VP of Government and Community Relations are the go-between the Student Senate and the shared Faculty Government of Chabot, and the surrounding community organizations outside of Chabot, respectively.
The Student Trustee position is a member of the Chabot Las Positas Community College District (CLPCCD) board of trustees and is a representative for Chabot’s student interest in direct educational policymaking at the district level. The ICC chair is a the Senate’s liaison for the ICC which coordinates and allocates funds and resources for the clubs across campus.
The Representative-at-Large position is the most highly contested position this election, and is meant to be the direct representative for the student body to the Senate itself. According to one of the candidates Kaitlin Cruey, “We work to give our opinion about what should be funded… representing what students are involved, and what they’re interested in.” She continued,”So student opinion is very important to find out what we actually need to do and what the problems around campus there are for students.”
SSCC elections take place every year during the Spring semester and results are enacted for the following academic year. Senate elections are taking place this year between April 27 and May 2, and can be voted on online here.
