Claudia Chinchilla
The Associated Students Organization has been part of the Pierce College campus since the 1970s.
The ASO bungalow has been the home to members since the beginning of its time.
This academic year the officers are President Daniella Schwartz and Vice President Adam Willis along with Advisor Brad Saenz who has been involved since January 2004.
“Most students come into student government not knowing much about how it works,” said Saenz.
ASO is an established student government with a detailed and written constitution all members follow. All actions are taken by membership majority vote.
The executive council is made up of the president which is official representative of the student body, vice president, club council president and the treasurer.
There are two senators for 24 of the departments offered on the Pierce campus. In order to become a senator, 75 signatures are required.
There is also a student court which has a chief Justice and four associate justices.
Everything is done by vote, finalized by the student senate and cleared with the advisor.
As an advisor he is to make sure they all abide by the district rules and regulations. Prior to being elected Saenz is to check eligibility of officers, senators and clubs.
“I act as an advisor for the decisions they make, but I don’t make them for them, said Saenz. “They are their own functioning institution.”
The membership fee is $7.50 per year but it is covered with the purchase of a Pierce parking pass.
The annual budget for ASO is about $200,000 which funds campus activities, upkeep of academic programs and trips to enrich the experience for its members.
It is set every April with proposals to fund projects to benefit the entire student body.
recently the ASO attended a trip to Washington, D.C. to lobby and meet with senators to discuss pell grants, funding that does not need to be repaid.
The ASO has hosted events to spread cultural awareness in the student body such as the Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King candlelight vigil on campus.
The blood drives are on campus once a semester and they have been lobbying with local Politicians to lower textbook prices for students.
Elections for ASO will be in April and officers will be re-elected. Voting lasts two days with polls open day and night offering all students the option to vote.
Although many students are not aware of ASO, there are several options to find out more. Meetings are open to all students and are held in the ASO bungalow every Tuesday.
At least five voting members must attend to have a functioning ASO. The Web site is currently undergoing a transitional phase, but will soon be updated weekly.
The benefits for a being part of the program are a “better campus life, student transcript recognition, meeting new friends and the power to voice any concerns,” said Willis.