Column: Requirements must be raised

To be an Assosciated Student Organization senator all you need is five units and a 2.0 grade point average

Rodrigo Carbonel / Roundup

The requirements for any Pierce student to become an Associated Students Organization (ASO) senator should be raised and changed so it becomes more of a challenge.

An ASO senator has to be among the top students on campus academically so they can represent a student body which they already lead with their academic performance.

It will ensure that a hard working student who is committed to successfully reach his or her own educational goals represents the student population before school officials.

To become an ASO senator, not only at Pierce but at the other colleges in the district as well, a student has to be enrolled in a minimum of five units.

This normally translates into one challenging class that accounts for five units or maybe two or three which would translate into less challenging classes for the student.

The five unit minimum should be raised to at least seven or eight units so the student is obligated to take more challenging classes and show his or her own dedication towards their future.

In addition to the five minimum units to be a senator, the student must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.

Students who average a ‘C’ in their classes do not have the sufficient responsibility and commitment level in school to represent the student body. If he or she cannot even represent their own interests in the classroom they cannot represent others. Because let’s face it, who would want a ‘C’ average president.

The cumulative GPA for a student who wants to become an ASO senator should be raised to at least a 3.0 to ensure the student has enough criteria to make the right decisions to actually benefit the student population.

The majority of those so called senators who get involved in the student senate only do so to fill the blank space underneath the extracurricular activities or student senate portion in their college application so it looks nice, not because they actually care about their fellow students who they are supposed to represent.