Candidacy applications to elect a new Student Trustee are now available and Senator Kenny Igbechi will fill in as Interim Student Trustee until a new one is elected.
“The trustees are the decision makers of the entire college. It’s important to have a student voice on a board making decisions at such a high level,” said Josh Villanueva, Student Senate President.
The Student Trustee sits on both the Board of Trustees and the Student Senate, acting as a liaison between the two groups.
“If you have leadership skills and think you’re well prepared, I encourage you to run for the position,” Senator Alan Morales said.
Applications (linked here) are due by 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. Any student can apply that is enrolled in five units, has a GPA of at least 2.5 and is in academic and progress good standing.
There will be two weeks of campaigning after the deadline. Online voting will take place Nov. 26-29. The Senate is still in the process of creating campaigning rules and a procedure for dealing with complaints of campaign misconduct.
The former Student Trustee, Krystle Farmer, resigned from her position Oct. 10. She wrote in her resignation letter that it was a traumatic experience working on the Board of Trustees.
“What is happening at SBCC right now is toxic,” Farmer wrote. “Until it is truly addressed, until folks hold themselves accountable, wash away their egos, and allow space for real conversations to be had about restorative justice, the problems will only continue to grow and become worse.”
Villanueva said he decided to hold a special election for the position because the person who holds the trustee position needs to best reflect students’ views. If the position had been filled by appointment instead, only the senators would have had the power of the vote to choose who receives the position.
“The trustee is always on the forefront of advocating for students,” Villanueva said. “If multiple people apply, we could even hold an election forum.” If a forum was held, students could ask candidates direct questions about what they plan to do for the student body if elected.
