Student vet Jesse Randel reaches for AS presidency on book and Wi-Fi platform

After six and a half years in the United States Air Force, traveling the world in service including distant locales such as Okinawa, Qatar, and Afghanistan, veteran Jesse Randel decided to become a student vet and enrolled at SMC. Here he found the Veterans Resource Center undersized and under-resourced for the over 600 vets on campus.

After encouraging from some international student friends on work visas whom he helped find assistance, Randel decided to participate in student government by trying and failing to secure a vacant seat on the AS board for Student Outreach. Though he didn’t get the position, Yana Demeshko, director of community relations, reached out to make him her commissioner.

After starting as her commissioner, he decided to run for AS president, creating the slate “Reading Rainbow” because he feels his slate mates represent the diversity of the campus.

Also reflecting their name, their slate focus is in lowering the price of books through clauses in the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act and seeking more reliable Wi-Fi on campus, including the Wi-Fi free Art building.

“Financially underprivileged students is really the cornerstone of our collective platform,” said Randel. “Coming from a poor background myself i know how hard it can be to do something like go to college.”

Randel made a point to mention his dependence on his GI bill funds to attend school during the AS presidential debate saying ““i don’t have a job, i get paid to go to school, it’s fantastic, the GI bill.” He said this to illustrate the amount of free time he was giving to the students if he wins.