By Mario Montalvo/ne news editor
Students on NE Campus will soon have a new vehicle to communicate ideas and concerns to administration.
Members of student government are currently trying to establish the group on campus and spread the word of its existence, said student government president Peter Salas.
NE has not had an active student government since the early ’90s, he said.
“I felt like the students had no voice,” he said. “We [students] outnumber the professors and the administration 100 to 1. So the biggest group of people aren’t being represented in any kind of way.”
Vice president Alex Alatorre said much work still needs to be done to get the student government up and running.
“Other student governments were formed since the beginning of their school,” he said. “We’re having to write our constitution.”
The officers also need to find a permanent office, he said.
Alatorre would like students to get more involved and to take pride in their school.
“I want to get rid of the reputation of ‘Oh, it’s just TCC,’” he said. “We have a campus life, but people here don’t realize it.”
Parliamentarian Cayce Ervin wants students to know that the student government is open to all students, not just those involved in clubs and that they can have their voices heard.
“To see that they can make a difference may help them see that in society they can make a difference,” she said. “We’re here to develop people. That’s what school is all about.”
Sometimes students have difficulty opening up to faculty, Ervin said. Students can talk to peers and still make their voices heard.
“Faculty don’t always see the things that students see, and this is an opportunity for them to speak up and say, ‘This is what I do or don’t like, do or don’t need, do or don’t want.’ And we can help them or try to help them.”
Secretary Annissa Mosher is involved in many student organizations and was surprised to find out that NE had no student government. So when she heard one was starting, she was very interested, she said.
“The first thing that I’d really like to accomplish is to facilitate communication between the student body and the leaders of the school,” she said. “I feel that right now there isn’t a clear way for students to communicate what they want.”
She wanted students to know that the student government officers are the first people to talk to when a campus issue needs to be addressed.
The group will hold forums throughout the semester to learn what kinds of changes students and organizations would like to see on campus, Salas said.
Currently, the officers are waiting on clubs to pick delegates for the forums.
Salas would like people to know one thing.
“We’re here, and we’re open,” he said. “Start looking for fliers.”
Other student government officers are historian Sheldon Cook and treasurer Nicolette Aguon.
