Associated Students of Skyline College (ASSC) student government elections are taking place on Skyline’s quad, from May 15 to May 18.

Eleven students are running for positions on student council this year. There are three students running for the position of president and one for vice president. Three students are running for commissioner of finance, one student for commissioner of public records, and two students for senator positions.

At a forum held in Skyline’s cafeteria on May 11, Vice President of ASSC, Peter Monrroy announced several of the candidates vying for the various positions on student government. Some of the candidates were unable to make the forum due to class conflicts.

Sen. Jonathan Vasquez is the only returning member to ASSC student government. Vasquez, who joined in early April and is running for the position of Senator again, said before the forum that he felt some confidence in partaking in student government next fall because he has some experience.

“My hope is that we can work together to make a more solid student body,” Vasquez said on his expectations of the coming year. “And that we may be able to represent Skyline in a good light within the college community.”

Lindsay D’Amico, who is running for Commissioner of Publicity spoke next. With her hair done up like a Mohawk to imitate the picture of the Skyline’s Trojan mascot, D’Amico gave a brief speech on how she plans to hand out flyers and make posters. Her little fliers with a picture of her Trojan-like profile read, “Promoting events so that You know about them.”

Silvia Cervantes, running for vice president of ASSC, said that she wanted more activities at Skyline.

“The reason I want to be your vice president is because I feel that there’s a lack of unity on our campus,” Cervantes said. “I hope to accomplish the problem by having more activities.”

Cervantes said that because college can be a stressful experience at times, she would like to incorporate fun activities for the students, such as movie nights or a carnival day.

“I am the best person for this position because I will make sure your voice gets heard and that your college experience is much more enjoyable,” she said.

Cirilo Espinoza, running for president of ASSC, emphasized the need for change on this campus.

“Without change, we don’t get anywhere,” Espinoza said. “One thing that I realize about this campus is that there hasn’t been a lot of change as of late, we still run into the same problems all the time.”

Espinoza said that in talking to Skyline students, he has learned about the many issues students have with the campus. Espinoza listed parking as a pressing issue, and also mentioned that students have issues with The Skyline View, administration, class times, and with the current student government and its members.

“Hopefully, these are issues that we want to fix, and I totally think that if you vote for me as president., I could help out,” Espinoza said. “I really want to do the best job possible.”

Luis Padilla, also running for ASSC president, emphasized the importance of having a strong communication between the student body and the students.

“Without student input and student creativity, how could officers do anything?” Padilla said. “Like, they have the body, but they don’t have the head.” Padilla also mentioned the importance of a good communication between staff and faculty and the students.

“That is the bridge that I want to elevate exponentially because that is the bridge that helped me here at Skyline,” Padilla said. “There is a huge gap between students and officers, and as an officer, I’m here to try to bring back the connection between students and officers.”

Kiiausha David, also running for ASSC president, said that she would also like to have more events and activities, as well as getting acquainted better with student government.

“I would like to first and foremost like to have our student population familiar with the student council,” David said. She would like to have more interaction than in just welcome week, which usually occurs within the first week of the semester.

David said that she would really like to make a change; she is not just running for ASSC president for her resume.

Membership has been low in student government over the past year, however, Amory Cariadus, adviser to the ASSC, is optimistic about the coming year.

“I think it’s a good turn out,” Cariadus said. “I think the people that are here want to be here and are very motivated, so it will definitely have an impact on what happens in fall.”

Cariadus said that if you want to have change, you have to implement yourself, just as the Gandhi inscription states in the student union building.

“I just hope students get out and vote,” She said.