ASB votes to provide $5000 for the ARC Native American Resource Center

Funding will go to a new library stocked with Native American learning resources in the center

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The American River College Associated Student Body, pictured here on Feb. 4 2022, met on Feb. 11, 2022, and gave feedback on HomeBase and offered ways to improve. They also were able to learn about their goals and what the program has to offer. (Screenshot of ARC ASB)

The Associated Student Body voted unanimously to distribute financial support for the Native American Resource Center during its Feb. 4. meeting.

The move will allocate advocacy funds of $5,000 in support of the Native American Studies Library Funding project for the Native American Resource Center on campus. Stacy Burrows, ASB president, said a possible event is subject to be planned in correspondence with the center to express the needs of the students. 

“[The fund] was created to provide funding to fill the library with texts, literature, learning materials, and support technology within the Native American Resource Center,” Burrows said. “The library is currently collecting learning materials in support of Native scholarship.”

The meeting continued with a discussion on February’s designation as Black History Month and a list of events geared towards celebrating it. February is also scholarship season with deadlines for submissions on Mar. 4. through the Los Rios Colleges Foundation. Senate members encouraged students to apply. 

ASB elections are also coming up. Brett Sawyer, the student life supervisor, gave a reminder to the attendees that paperwork for all positions will open starting Feb. 28. For Club and Events Board and senate president, priority goes to board members with at least one year of experience. 

“If no one applies within the first week,” Sawyer said, “any student who is eligible can run for president of each board.”  

Club Day, which will be virtual this semester, is scheduled for Feb. 24 from 11-1 p.m. and also 4:30-6:30 p.m. to accommodate students wanting to join in through a Zoom link that will be released at a later date. 

According to Angie Velarde-Burch, an ASB board member, the Affordable Learning Materials committee and Student Success Council have discussed the possible creation of a no-cost pathways program. 

“This will allow students to take pathways of obtaining a degree by only taking courses that use open educational resources,” Burch said.

The 26th General Assembly for the Student Senate for California Community Colleges will be held in person on April 1-3. Located at the downtown Holiday Inn, delegates from different statewide colleges will be attending to bring forth priorities up for discussion to the board, as well as have workshops and speakers for this event. In order for ARC board members to attend, a bill will need to be made. 

To join in on future ASB meetings, the information for the Zoom code and password can be found on the ASB student government website