Accent May 5 Issue

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May 5, 2010

www.theAccent.org

First Copy free | Volume 12, Issue 12

Amador wins uncontested election

Jorge Amador is a 19 year-old sophomore Government major, and, as of April 30, Amador is the new student body president. Amador was unopposed in this year’s student government election. Before becoming president, Amador served as the Northridge Campus senator. Accent editor Christopher A. Smith sat down with Amador to talk about what Amador plans to focus on in his upcoming term as president. Christopher A. Smith

someone who is determined to make it happen. Like I said, that is more of a macro management from the Executive Council’s position.

Why do you want to be student body President?

I want to ask you about some of the big issues we’ve covered at the newspaper. This semester we’ve written a lot about the proposal to change late registration and the add/drop issue. There was a proposal to move late registration and the add/drop period back to the week before classes begins. So I want to see what your take on this issue is.

Assistant Editor

JA: I want to be Student Body President to embody the student body in all its shapes and forms. I want to be able to represent every single student that walks through these halls. I think I’d be a really good person for doing that. What do you think it is about you that qualifies you to have this position? JA: I’d like to start off first of all, my experience. I’ve been an ACC student for a while now and I think that since I’ve been involved in student government this year I know all the ins and outs, what it means to be the president. I worked very closely with the Executive Council for Student Government so I’m fairly aware of what everyone’s tasks are. Let’s talk a little bit about your specific plans. What are some of your goals? JA: I guess first of all I’d like to increase student involvement. That’s my main concern as far as major issues are concerned. I’d love to get more student input by internet and surveys, and talking to people. I think it would be vital for our success. As far as other things, I think more student involvement would help with everything including sponsoring major events or holding major events, like Black Out which is successful. Do you plan to continue Black Out?

JA: From the beginning I opposed this decision because I think a lot of students could benefit from the add/drop grace period. We made a special committee in Student Government to deal with adds and drops. The person in charge of that was our parliamentarian Brice Gump. We dealt with the details of the actual adds and drops system because it’s very complicated and you have to separate it into separate issues. You cannot fix it with a one-line authoritative rule. So we just worked really close with the administration and tried to find an even ground where it benefit both students and administration. I know the issue will come back up sometime next semester or next year. Now there is a proposal to move late registration but keep two days of add/drop. Would you be comfortable with that or would you want to keep late registration as it is now? JA: You know it is important to note that in other colleges, major colleges, though I have never attended one, they have registration up to a week or so after classes begin to add and drop and do

JA: You know it is a very big project. I would hope so we just need experienced hands on board and

ȩȩ See Involvement page 3

Karissa Rodriguez • Design Intern

CAMPAIGNING — SGA President Jorge Amador talks to cultural anthropology major, Melissa Black about the SGA election in the student lounge at Rio Grande campus. Amador met with students on April 22 to encourge them to vote on the elections.

SGA ELECTION RESULTS 2010-2011 PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE

PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE

President Jorge Amador

Vice-President Parliamentarian Sophia Dylan Pera Downing

CYP Senator Ashley King

CYP Senator NRG Senator Luisa Parodi Jason Haydon

RGC Senator Rita Mathis

RGC Senator Sarah Whatley

Distance Learning Student Senator Samantha Davis

Student w/ NonVeteran Student Minority Student Disabilities Traditional Senator Senator Senator Student Kyle Burns Blanca Gonzalez Anna Senator Aleman April Busby

Hartfield hopes to bring hard work ethic to Board of Trustee place 6

Reiter hopes business acumen will distinguish him from other candidates

mittee to annex Round Rock ISD into the ACC tax division. Staff Writer “As a result of that, there is a new campus being built up in Round Rock,” said Hartfield. “I Before Raymond Hartfield saw a strong support for Austin received his master’s degree in Community College in the science or his multiple bacheRound Rock area.” lor’s degrees, he graduated from For Hartfield there are Pearl River Community College. two ways to balance a budget: Now he’s running for place 6 reducing costs and increasing on Austin Community College’s revenue. Board of Trustees. While serving on the Round “I think it’s nice to have Rock school board for 14 someone who graduated from years, Hartfield did not have a community college to actually the option of raising tuition to be working with what’s best increase revenue. Because of that for a community college,” said Hartfield said he felt like there Hartfield. was a propensity to go in Hartfield has three priand cut programs, but orities for ACC: acceshe didn’t want to sibility, affordability, do that. Instead, and adequacy. he another way “Accessibility to increased has to do not revenue. only with when “We’d go out the classes are OARD and get people, scheduled, but OF and corporahow they are RUSTEES tions, to give us delivered to you,” grants,” Hartfield Hartfield said. said. “We set up a founVirtual, hybrid, and dation and raised money. We class options are three of the filed for federal grants. We got possible delivery systems Hartinnovative with our programs. field described. We started drawing in milAn education is adequate lions of dollars in a fairly well when a graduate can do what to do school district. We had to they went to school to do, Hartincrease revenues to balance the field said. budget, and we did.” Hartfield has been involved Hartfield said he feels ACC is with ACC for the last 10 years missing some of these opportuand recently chaired the comnities.

Brynne Harder

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Place 6 — Raymond Hartfield is making accessibility, adequacy, and affordability the focus of campaign for seat.

“Do I think we’re leaving money on the ground at ACC? Sure, there’s no question about it,” Hartfield said. Currently, Hartfield is working with ACC on a program to increase revenue. ȩȩ See Hartfield page 3

Editor’s Note

Candidates running for a seat on the ACC Board of Trustees can contact the Accent at editor3@austincc.edu or 2233111 for an interview.

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Raymond Hartfield

a lot about where graduates go after high school. Staff Writer “Higher education is out of reach for a lot of students. A growing number are going to “If managed well, ACC has community colleges like ACC,” the potential to become one of Reiter explained. the best community colleges in Increasing enrollment and the country because it has all the college’s growth is generof the resources to make that ally favored, but Reiter wants to happen,” David Reiter, who make sure that students aren’t is running for place 5 one the negatively affected by irresponAustin Community College sible growth. Board of Trustees, said. To begin, Reiter would like to Understanding management set up a financially sound expanrequirements of the board is sion plan. an important part of Reiter’s Without an expansion plan plans. He became interested in to provide facilities in the new the position through his work taxing districts, Reiter said with the Austin Chamber that the college would of Commerce where be forced to cut he spent three years services, raise on an Indepenfees, raise taxes dent School or request state District task funding. force assessing Reiter would progress reports also focus on for nine Central OARD OF what happens Texas school RUSTEES to students once districts. they leave ACC by Through this making sure jobs are work he thinks he available to graduates and understands what the role of the board should be: accessing tracking student exits. “ACC doesn’t have a good performance, ensuring compliunderstanding of where students ance and setting vision. Reiter go after leaving. They don’t track sees supporting students’ access to quality programs as a primary that,” Reiter said. “The students coming out of ACC are good responsibility of the Board of students. They perform better Trustees. than the ones who start at U.T. – While looking into the acaaccording to U.T.” demic performance of different school districts, he also learned

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Michael Needham

David Reiter

Place 5— Financially sound

expansion is one issue David Reiter would like to focus on if elected to ACC’s Board. Tracking exits applies to dropouts as well as graduates. According to Reiter, the reason for ACC’s high dropout rate isn’t known because there isn’t any follow-up. Reiter suggests putting together a quesȩȩ See Reiter page 3

Editor’s Note

Candidates running for a seat on the ACC Board of Trustees can contact the Accent at editor3@austincc.edu or 2233111 for an interview.


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