Due to a lack of able hands, the ASSC was forced to conduct special elections this past month.

As of June 30, 2011, the ASSC alerted the student body that due to the small amount of senators (eight to be exact) in the ASSC, they would be opening special elections with nine open seats. Thursday, Sept. 22 marked the first ASSC meeting with these new senators who were voted in during elections that took place the week prior.

The voter turnout was reported to be 3 percent out of 10,000 by Coordinator of Student Activities Amory Cariadus. The new ASSC senatorial seats are now filled by Skyline students Freddie King, JP de Guzman, Morgan Davis, Camilla Razavi, Richard Lopez, Subash Subedi, Colleen Juliano, Mark Lipkin, Katelyn Smathers, Kayla Louis, Christian Etienne, Alejandro Gallardo Avarez, and Jason Chow.

Senators on the ASSC take on several responsibilities on top of their academic endeavors often times having higher goals in mind. There are several requirements for ASSC senatorial positions that include having a 2.05 GPA and being enrolled in at least six units here at Skyline. Elections will not be taking place until next year, as senators are elected to participate for two semesters.

“My responsibilities as a senator are mainly to represent the student population that elected me and vote on important matters concerning students,” states Katelyn Smathers, a newly appointed senator. “I feel privileged that I was elected by my peers to represent them and have been given the opportunity to be on the counsel this year.”

Senators on the ASSC take on several responsibilities on top of their academic endeavors often times having higher goals in mind. There are several requirements for ASSC senatorial positions which include having a 2.05 GPA and being enrolled in at least six units here at Skyline. Elections will not be taking place until next year, as senators are elected to participate for two semesters.

Senators both new and old recently came back from a Leadership Retreat that took place in Monterey, California paid for by the ASSC during which they were taught how to improve leadership skills and maximize efficiency in their group. The ASSC is now a large group of students looking to improve the campus. Upcoming events sponsored and organized by the ASSC include Latino Heritage Month and Halloween activities. In the past, they’ve organized events like Relay For Life and are also responsible for school wide events like Club Rush and Welcome Week.

The new senators will attend ASSC meetings every Thursday room 6202 at 2 p.m. and will vote on important issues that affect students here at Skyline College. Meetings are open to the public.

“I joined the ASSC because I believe I can make a positive impact on the Skyline student body. I am willing to fight for what’s right no matter what the obstacles may be, and I want to make sure that each student is heard and represented,” says Mark Lipkin, another senator new to ASSC. “I hope that the ASSC can make a positive impact not only on the student body while on the Skyline campus, but can impact the wider community in a positive way.”