The Associated Students of Skyline College are currently in the process of holding elections to fill positions for the 2010-2011  student council term.

 
With the exception of the presidency position, many of the candidates for student government are running uncontested. While it was not a disappointing turnout for the ASSC, some student voters wish they had more candidates to choose from in terms of the other positions.
 
“I just wish that more people had the guts to come out and try to do something for our school,” said Skyline student, Wilson Guevarra, a political science major. “Students here need to realize that competition breeds quality–the more people there are running for a certain position, the more the candidates will try to rise to the occasion, if only to make the other guy look bad.”

 
While many students agree with Guevarra’s statement, some find it a little hypocritical. One such student, Stacey Linton, believes that the complaints from students makes it fall short of becoming anything worthwhile.
 
“People complain without any real action,” Linton said. “They say they want more people to run, and more choices of candidates, but no one really steps up to the job except for those few.”
 
Fortunately, many Skyline students believe that the current candidates all portray themselves as passionate and qualified individuals who really care about trying to make a difference for Skyline.
 
Caroline Chen, currently running unopposed for the position of Commissioner of Publicity, wants to make sure that Skyline students have enough prior knowledge of events so that they are more aptly able to show their support.
 
“I believe in creating a school climate where all students are informed of upcoming events and opportunities,” Chen said. “I have attended many events on campus only to see the same few people there repeatedly. Most often, I have only witnessed people stumble upon such events because these activities are not publicized enough to students.”
 
Skyline student Christian Michaels agrees with Chen’s publicity policy wholeheartedly. 
 
“There are so many different activities and performances at Skyline,” Michaels said. “But not enough people know about it. We definitely need more student involvement, and that can only happen with better publicity of the events.”
 
Raymond Parenti-Kurttila, who is running against Thomas Wong for Presidency, believes that Skyline’s largest problems lie with the rise of tuition cost and the cutting of classes and class-sizes.
 
“Our right to an affordable public education is slowly slipping away,” Parenti-Kurttila said. “However, we can secure our right through the growth and development of our community. Let us provide more opportunities for students to come together and build relationships, so that we can share knowledge and ideas with each other.”
 
Wong, who agrees that the rising cost of education should be a major concern for students, believes that the rising cost of textbooks and other essential materials is also something Skyline students should consider.
 
“Most of the students are complaining about new and used books being too expensive,” Wong said. “Students are not fairly compensated from buy-backs and the library does not have copies of the textbbooks available.”
 
So while not many students came out to actually participate in the candidacy process at Skyline, some Skyline students believe that the people who actually applied to be members of the council are the ones who are best qualified.
 
“Sure, I wish that there were more people to choose from, but that isn’t what’s important,” said Skyline student Jessica Bernard. “What matters is that the people who did come out to run are the ones who really want to be there–and that’s what is important in a school leader–they have to want to be there.”