The Associated Students Want You!

The Associated Students need your help!

Yes, we do have student government here at Santa Monica College, and yes, they do quite a lot for our school. You know how you can ride any bus line in Santa Monica for free just by showing your student activity sticker? Thank the A.S. What about all of the fantastic clubs on campus? The A.S. sponsors all of them; more than 60 clubs in
total. Ever applied for financial aid for
a study abroad program, or received a
scholarship? The A.S. was probably involved.

But now, students of SMC, it's your turn to help. The elections for next year's A.S. representatives are coming up, and the time to turn in your application for candidacy is running out. The A.S. currently has 14 elected positions, all of which do different things to help out the student body. And as of Corsair deadline, two of those positions have yet to be applied for, while another six are filled by candidates running unopposed.

The process to put yourself on the ballot is simple, but don't be fooled, it takes a lot of dedication. "Everyone has as much of a chance as the most popular guy here," said Jafet Santiago, current A.S. vice president.
"But you have to really want it."

The steps to putting yourself on the ballot are as follows: one must go to the A.S. website (www.smc.edu/as), download the election code and petition, get at least 50 signatures from SMC students and then submit
your paperwork to the A.S. office in the Cayton Center before Tuesday.

Once you have completed these steps, you must also attend the Mandatory Candidate Meeting at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday as well as the meeting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

"It's all about how much you want to do for the students," said Santiago. "You've got to gain trust from [the students], and if you can't do that then you shouldn't be in this office to being with."

Currently, the positions that are unapplied for are fairly important: the Director of Academic Support and the Director of Financial Support. The positions that are currently running unopposed are also on that same level; they include the Vice President, the Director of Financial Support, the Director of Publicity, the Director of Student Services, the Director of Sustainability and the Student Trustee.

For more information on these positions and what exactly the title entails, visit the A.S. website. So get out there and make your name known, the deadline is approaching
quickly and your school needs YOU!