Candidacy Requirements For Associate Students Stay the Same; Covid-19 Alter's Campaigning Procedure
Elections for the Associated Students (A.S.) Board of Directors and the Student Trustee occur every year in March, during the Spring semester at Santa Monica College (SMC). Students who are eligible may run for a position at the A.S. program that governs the college.
According to SMC’s Constitution and By-Laws, A.S. is meant to promote “the intellectual, social, educational, and cultural welfare of the students,” through a self-governed body allotted by the Education Code of California.
In order to be eligible for one of the Board of Directors positions, a candidate must be enrolled in at least eight units with a grade point average of 2.0, have 20 units completed at SMC, and be available to serve for the whole term (this semester’s term being July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021), according to the A.S. 2020 Election Code. However, a Student Trustee must reside in California and should be enrolled in a minimum of five units per semester.
Potential candidates may choose among 16 positions; three Inter-Club Council spots, 12 Directors, or one as a Student Trustee. “Each position has its own set of rules and responsibilities, whether it's like a certain event you have to plan or the sort of conduct and like meetings that you need to attend,” said Student Trustee Brooke Harrington.
Student Trustee Candidate Brooke Harrington at the Associate Students Candidate Forum at Santa Monica College Campus on Tuesday March 26, 2019. (Tanya Barcessat / The Corsair)
In addition, students may run as an individual candidate, or join a slate, which is composed of 8 people, each competing for a different position. Each candidate is required to gather 50 signatures from SMC students, along with their names and student ID’s, in order to qualify for a spot on the ballot.
Moreover, all candidates must participate in the candidate meeting and have a photo and a statement according to the Election rules and procedures. Once their candidacy is verified, campaigning begins and they proceed into gathering votes.
Director of Student Outreach Tafari Alan, believes that “getting involved in A.S. comes from the root of wanting to help people, wanting to see some sort of influence or change on campus in a way that's tangible.”
“I got involved because I met a bunch of other people who really cared about students and about bringing resources to people about making things better on campus. I fell in love with that vision. I decided to run,” Alan said.
Harrington said that during the last two weeks of March students are “canvassing going out there to classes and trying to get people to vote for you, and the second of the two weeks is when students can vote.”
“It's mostly having materials in place, such as business cards. Some people use flyers, some people use electronic social media and it's just a lot of busy work,” Alan said. “It's a lot of going around and making sure your face is seen because a lot of students aren't involved on campus.”
However, amid Covid-19, this year’s campaigning is mostly occurring through social media according to Harrington.
Inter-Club Council (ICC) Chair Natalie Lim said: “I remember when I ran, any spare moment I had was dedicated to campaigning, even though I was taking 15 units. That experience really helped me understand the beauty of my school and appreciate how much we do for students and how much we can do for students.”
“It was very stressful, but rewarding at the end of it,” Harrington said.
