Voting for the Student Trustee and Associate Student Body leaders for the upcoming school year begins tomorrow.
Students can vote for candidates online through their eServices accounts from 7 a.m to 11:30 p.m. tomorrow and Wednesday.
Leaders have been campaigning for the last week by hanging up posters in campus hallways and participating in the candidate forums in the student center last Tuesday and Wednesday.
During the second day of the candidate forums, the students discussed ways in which to prevent sexual assaults on and near campus and how to better help disabled students.
“The fact that we’re having any kinds of incidences of rape, harm, danger happening on this campus – completely inexcusable,” Senate candidate Cameron Weaver said.
Senator Laurie Jones, who is running unopposed for Student Senate director of finance, said she wants to see more cooperation with the police and Women Escaping A Violent Environment (WEAVE), which provides services for abused women.
“I am the representative for the building grounds and safety committee, I’ve been going to those monthly meetings … I echo the better lighting, more education, having people not walk singly, wearing earbuds, or being so caught up on your cell phone that you fall in a hole or let somebody approach you that you’re not seeing,” Jones said. “I would like to see us get together with the police department and WEAVE and have some talks and maybe show some movies on that.”
Senate candidate Jose Garcia advised that students stay away from potentially dangerous areas.
“For the time being I believe students should stay away (from the nature trails) as it seems to be a dangerous time,” he said.
Candidates also stated how they would advocate for disabled students on campus.
“Because of budget cuts, disabled student services have been cut severely,” Student Senate Presidential candidate and current Student Senate Vice President Tami Dunning said. “I think it is very important to continue advocating and helping those students, making sure they have access to the things they need, including not having to tell a disability to an instructor. DSPS (Disabled Student Services and Programs) should be contacting instructors.”
Sen. Ross Rayala, candidate for Student Senate president, said he advocates for disabled students.
“I will be going down to the state capitol at 3 o’clock to meet with the budget committee to take back some of the funds taken from DSPS,” he said.
Senate candidate Jonathon Tobey said he wants the voice of diversity better represented on campus.
“I believe that our diversity directly affects our benefit of education,” he said. “I think a lot of people in the Senate as well as faculty have been caught up in the fact that this is a white, middle class college … but it’s gone so far past that our demographic has completely changed.”
Vice Presidential candidate Leslie Milan Fisher gave an emotional closing statement in which she pledged to fight for “the underrepresented and the marginalized student.”
“I need you to know how sincere I am about this,” she said. “When I first stepped onto ARC’s campus it was so amazing to hear each counselor and every teacher say, ‘Welcome to ARC. We’re different from where you came from.’ With that, I will courageously fight for all ARC students, embracing the underrepresented and the marginalized student. I am the underrepresented and the marginalized student … I want to do what you need me to do.”
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