New senators to fill empty seats Associated Students Organization strives for fully functional senate

Without active members participating in Pierce College’s student senate, the organization found itself inoperable during its first weekly senate meeting Sept. 4, 2012 in Woodland Hills, Calif.

The Associated Student Organization (ASO) and the student population averted a crisis within one week, recruiting six active senators by their Sept. 11 meeting.

This semester, the ASO had not received any applications for its senate by its first meeting, and without senators the government cannot vote on issues or allocate funds.

“We don’t have a functioning government yet, but we need one,” said Brad Saenz, ASO adviser at the Sept. 4 meeting. “We need at least three applicants before we can function as a student government.”

Without student participation, nothing was getting done.

“Right now, our main thing we’re dealing with is getting a student government, but that’s not going to be a struggle for too much longer,” Kevin Sparks, the ASO vice president, said. “We all want a senate, so I think we are all willing to work hard to get it.”

As of Sept.11, the ASO had six active senators and four pending applications, according to Sparks.

“I’ve never been in a position where we haven’t had a senate,” Sparks said.

In order to represent a department, applying senators must receive approval from their department chairs and tracking down professors for signatures has stalled the application process for some, according to Sparks.

ASO is still accepting applications for senate, and the deadline is tentatively set for beginning to mid October, Sparks said.

Paulina Antounian, 18, was in the process of signing up for senate after the Sept. 4 meeting adjourned.

“I want to help the school out and make it more involving for students,” Antounian said.

The media arts major decided to get involved with the senate to alleviate the effects of budget cuts.

Senators need a 2.0 GPA and cannot be on academic probation to participate.

Applications can be found online at www.pierceaso.webs.com.

Sparks plans to recruit new senators during the ASO Welcome Day event Sept. 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in The Great Hall.

“I would like to have a big senate,” Sparks said. “I want to inspire people to be in ASO.”

Without senators, students at Pierce have no representation, no vote on fund allocation, and no say in matters that affect all Pierce students.

For more on the ASO, visit our website,

“A student who’s deaf is going to be very different from a student who is dyslexic,” Kiekel said.

The equity plan goes beyond just collecting the numbers by following up on why the inequities are there and what solutions can fix them.

To get that sort of information, the equity plan committee will often ask those questions in surveys or focus groups. The committee also talks to four year institutions and high schools to gather additional data.

The new plan is the first to account for the difficult financial climate of the past few years. As a result, a common theme was how to build up support for struggling students in the face of budget cuts.

“A lot of [the equity plan] was about our incoming students and the barriers that they face,” equity plan committee member Sunday Salter said. “Our outreach program is basically eliminated.”

In the face of the harsh economy, more people are attending community colleges either to retool their careers or receive an affordable education.

At the same time, fewer classes are being offered, fewer counselors are available, and tutoring services are beginning to go away.

“It’s sort of a perfect storm,” said Keikel.

In regards to tutoring, which the college has lost funding for, the equity plan will attempt to recruit faculty and students as volunteer tutors.

The plan also seeks additional funding through private grants for tutoring and other services.

Kiekel stresses that in the plan, students come first.

“Our goal as an institution is not about budget. Our goal is to help students succeed,” she said.

The equity plan will be discussed at the next Academic Senate meeting Sept. 24, where recommendations and changes will be added before ratifying it.

For more on the Equity Plan, visit www.theroundupnews.com.