ASG Presidential Elections
Melissa Fenerci, 19, communications/PR
Why did you first attend Saddleback and what do you think of it?
A: This is my first year at Saddleback. I took a year off after graduating from Aliso Niguel High School in 2008 because I didn’t plan on going to college and couldn’t get in anywhere due to my grades, so Saddleback was my default. Shortly after, I realized that I wanted to go back to college and start over again.
What do you think of Saddleback so far?
I’m so grateful to the amazing programs we have here suh as KSBR, the Lariat, the automotive, nursing, compared to other schools and I urge students to take full advantage of the services we have to offer at Saddleback.
Why are you running for ASG President?
I’ve been really involved in ASG and realize that there a some things I can do to change ASG is structured. My Public relations background helps because I think we’re missing awareness for ASG and the events on campus. I’ll work on publicizing events and making ASG more relatable to students.
Do you have anything to say to the board of trustees?
When issues are brought up, yes I will. However, they are going a great job right now. I will also work closely with the Student Trustee, who I hope will be form Saddleback , to do what the students want.
What would you do different for Saddleback?
I have a few plans for Saddleback, but I am not one to promise something if I can’t go through with it. However, one of my concerns is to fix the parking problem. I want to represent the diverse ideas of students and be the student delegate, remove my bias and doing what students want even if it’s not what I want. I’d also like to add more events and more student life to campus. I’d improve the communication with ASG and students by using a survey system that would allow for students to input their opinions on daily issues and share their opinions about the campus online. By having be on the internet, it’d be much easier and quicker.
How can you relate to the student body?
The average student at Saddleback is not a 4.0 and not perfect. A lot of people would tell me not to admit this, but I feel the need to say it even if I don’t talk about it much. In High school I struggled with grades and was not involved and had a drug abuse problem. There are many that are like me, and I want them to be inspired by what I am doing about my dark past. It is possible to go back to school and start a new life.
Do you have any experiences where you have preserved over struggles? Personal and or academically?
I never got an A, it’s a struggle to keep up grades and attend school, but ASG and Phi Thetha Kappa have both made that struggle easier everyday. I’m living a different life now and I am thankful for it.
How do you impact the day to day operations of students?
I’m the connection between ASG and students because I publicize events and get information out. I started toe ASG facebook to appeal to all of those who have the internet, but I also try to appeal to those that don’t by on campus publicity. I started the PR committee to focus on students and increase publicity for events because there is no student life right now.
Anything you have to say to students??
If students want more activities and a better college atmosphere they should vote for me.
Why should people care about these elections?
Whoever wins this election will represent the students, and not a lot of people are satisfied with ASG right now, so things will change if I am elected.
What do you think the biggest problem with ASG is right now?
Visibility. Students are not aware that ASG exists, and a lot of people don’t even know what it stands for. I want to fix that, and there is no real connection between ASG, the Lariat, and KSBR and those are resources that we use.
Brent Palmer, 19
Lee Eisler
What do you think of Saddleback?
I think Saddleback is a wonderful Jr. College. Saddleback is a great stepping stone to a better education. It also has great teachers.
Why did you first attend Saddleback?
I first started to attend Saddleback in Fall 2007.
What would make you a better asg president than the other candidates?
I am a dedicated student that likes to work hard to see things through, I also am a unbiased person but to be honest we (the other candidates and I) all have our own strengths and weaknesses. To say that I am better at everything would be wrong.
What do you want to do differently for Saddleback?
I would like to see saddleback students more involved with their school. So I would want to push the information that there is a student government and that we are here to advocate for the students.
What do you want to accomplish as ASG president?
I would want to get the students of Saddleback more involved with our meetings and all campus events. I would also like to build a better relationship with the Lariat because it wasn’t so strong this year.
Are you planning on funding clubs more?
As president I do not have absolute control over the money that clubs are funded but I do have a say and can work with ICC and leadership to advocate more money for clubs.
Why are you running for ASG President?
I am running for president because I feel that I can make a change within ASG to better benefit the students.
How are you campaigning yourself?
I have only Started to campaign on Facebook.
How can you relate to the student body?
I can relate to the student body because I’ve been a student here for 3 years. 2 of those years I did not participate in student government and was just a student going to class and going home. Within those two years that I was not on student government I noticed that even I didn’t know what ASG was or even heard of them at that point. It was frustrating because I wanted to get involved but did not know how.
Do you have any experiences where you have persevered over struggles? Personal and/or academically?
Yes, when I first started Saddleback I was a below average student. My grades were poor and I really didn’t care about my future. After my first semester here at Saddleback I realized that I could only better my life through a better education. So that is when I started to change for the better. I started to get better grades and found out that if I get involved it actually makes school life easier.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I like to play guitar and sing when I get free times.
Describe your personality?
I am a very calm, relaxed person. Very easy to approach and talk to.
Why should people care about these elections?
People should care about these elections because it is important that they let their voices be heard and one of the best ways to do it is by voting for the person that they want in office.
What do you have to say to people who don’t know or care that you exist?
To come and get to know us, we are always open in every one of our meetings.
Why shouldn’t your opponents be ASG President?
My opponents all have their strengths and weaknesses. I would be honored to be beat by them.
Whats different between your platform and theirs?
This is a hard question to answer because I do not know where the other candidates stand for their platform because it has not been publicized but here is mine.
Student Advocacy: I would push to get students more involved by throwing more events that are informative to what is going on in the school and bring problems to their attention so that we could get feedback and relay it to the staff and faculty
Existence of ASG: I would push to throw more events for students so that they know that we exist. I know that a lot of students do not know who we are and what exactly we do and that is a problem because that ties into student a
dvocacy.
Better relationships with other Saddleback organizations: I know that in the past ASG and other Saddleback organizations may have not gotten along so well but I would strive to make our friendships stronger by welcoming them to any information that they want to know from about ASG.
How do you impact the day to day operations of students?
The only way (that I can think of) to impact the day to day operations of students is to advocate for the students in the meetings that I will be attending. It’s like a relationship though. I can not advocate to my full potential without knowing what the students want, so we need student participations in our and the school’s decision.
What do you think the biggest problem with ASG is right now?
A problem that I see with ASG is some people forget why we are here and that is to serve as the voice of the students.