by Alyssa Wejebe
As President of the Associated Students Organization, she serves the students through a variety of different jobs, such as organizing programs—now Shani Simms is just as organized when returning students’ bags in a quick and friendly fashion outside of the school bookstore. The long line of students stretching out on all sides doesn’t seem to bother her.
With her one-year term drawing to a close once the spring semester ends, Simms takes the time in between all her different jobs to reflect on her experience in office and talk about the work she still has left.
Simms said the new book rental program and starting the scholarships this spring would be her lasting impact.
She continued that “a lot of the students will remember” her past work as the Social Culture Chair before her presidency.
“Most of the events she does are a positive thing for the school,” said Amr Abushami, the new ASO treasurer.
Simms shared that her favorite event to organize for the school was “Welcome Week,” describing how in the Great Hall, there was a “ton of students, the room was packed.”
She thought all the music, performances, rap and singing had been great. There were $1500 in spa prizes for the students, and “on top of that I got donations from ‘In-N-Out.'”
“You know students enjoyed it when they ask for it again,” remembered Simms with a touch of pride.
Simms voiced no regrets about her term, saying, “I think I accomplished more than I planned to do.”
She said she wrote a list of her goals, which she shared with the Board, the Senators and the ASO Advisor. However, Abushami said “no one knows what she’s gonna do.”
Simms offered some advice to the next ASO President. “Plan out what you want to do and start over the summer,” she recommended, advising against waiting until the fall. “You get it ready—then reveal it” and let the students partake.
She explained that was the case with the coupon books. She worked on them over the winter break, and had them ready for spring.
“Advice for anybody doing extracurricular activities…school comes first,” added Simms. “That’s why Pierce College exists.”
She explained that if her grades failed, she would be kicked out of ASO, and then how could she help anyone?
Simms noted how there is “always someone else involved” in her work. “Good leaders never do anything alone.”
For the rest of her term, Simms said she planned to continue work on the various projects already in motion.
The new set of ASO-funded scholarships is one of them.
“Not finished yet, just because I’ve written them and got the vote,” said Simms. She wants to promote them through word-of-mouth, class announcements, by posting to the ASO web site, recruiting senators to advertise it and sending out emails to all eligible students.
Kevin Sparks, the Social Culture Chair, agrees with Simms over ASO spending. He said that money should be spent in bad economic times, and that they have funds for a “good amount to help supply students.”
The book rental program will continually be developed. She said a lot of pre-planning for that was with the old board, especially with the former treasurer, Ivan Alvarez.
Cindy Gerges, Club Council President, applauded the new text book rental program as something that “makes us stand out from other schools.”
Abushami was a former critic of the book rental program, but says it ended up being a good thing.
Another project consists of the free coupon books for ASO members, already completed and waiting in the Business Office, though they are on a first-come, first serve basis.
The books contain coupons for the Freudian Sip, the on-campus bookstore and the theater department.
Even after “40 hours” spent on designing the coupon book and with copies of it now available to students, Simms said the job was not done. When the 500 copies run out, 500 more will have to be printed and assembled, and 500 more after that.
“Just coordinating people takes a lot,” said Simms when talking about working with the book store, the theater department and the Freudian Sip. She explained that working with them to make the coupons “legit” had been a long process.
“I’d like to do one (another coupon book) for fall.” But she added that since the coupon books only recently came out, the ASO would wait a month or two to gauge its success. If all goes well, there are ideas of designing a new one for the next semester.
The ASO Clerk, EJ Tormes, said that Simms is completely against the idea to make all students pay for the Metro bus I-TAP passes, ignoring whether they take the bus or not.
Simms said she would have to cover any last-minute projects that come up day by day, such as the Black History Month celebration, the “Get Sprung Spring Dance,” a Fashion Show “all with Brahma gear” and a drink-making contest, where the victor’s drink will be sold as part of the menu at the Freudian Sip.
Simms spoke about sitting on a large number of different school and district committees on campus, such as the Pierce College Council and the Diversity Committee.
Simms would like to have a full senate, with all 39 total seats filled. She also said that she wants to have more people run for office, in light of others’ terms ending too.
Simms explained that focusing on these particular plans was either because it was something students told her they wanted during her campaigning, or she believed it would be good for them.
She wanted “nothing absurd” about her goals. “Unless I’m a billionaire,” lowering book prices was not “attainable”—book rental was.
“That’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re the President,” Simms said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Help the students.”
ASO President Shani Simms can be contacted at asop@piercecollege.edu. More information about ASO in general can be found here at http://info.piercecollege.edu/students/aso/.