Friday, February 24, 2017

LBCC SLC's Presidential & Vice Presidential Candidates Take Debate Floor

LBCC SLC Homepage
(Photo: Linn-Benton Community College)
The candidates for student government squared off and promoted their ideas for LBCC's student body.

The LBCC Student Leadership Council's presidential and vice presidential candidates met at LBCC's Hot Shot cafe for a forum style debate at 3 p.m. on Feb. 21. They were asked various questions by current SLC officers on topics such as how to improve commuting services for students, how to better promote LBCC resources, and why the candidates are qualified for the positions on the SLC.


The presidential candidates consisted of:



  •  Ariel Zapien, a biological science major and former co-chair member of a Portland Community College multicultural organization.
  • Brian Ixthlahuac, who is studying political sciences and has worked in student government for three years including a year where he was a co-class president at Corvallis High School.
  • Connor Hibbs, currently interested in biological studies and a former senior patrol leader of Troop 2 of Boy Scouts of America in Corvallis.

Justen Noll is the only vice presidential candidate, he is majoring in business management and was the creator of a film club in high school that organized a multitude of extracurricular events for students such as open mics and film premieres.

The debate led off with a general question of what each of the candidates would do to advocate for the student body.


"I want to immerse myself within the student body and ask the people how they are doing and what they would do different. I want to ask them face to face on what their thoughts are and look for things to change," said Ixthlahuac.


"One of my ideas would be to start a group where we can support each other as students. I think it's important to support each other's opinions and encourage more students to participate more in student body events," said Zapien.


"I plan to represent students on key issues like tuition costs, study group availability in the learning center and library to encourage students to be all they can be," said Hibbs.


"The main goal I have is to have more accessible opportunities to students to be engaged and involved with their college. This would include having more prominent visual representations of what the SLC is up to," said Noll.


Another question was asked on the issues the candidates see facing students at LBCC.


"An issue I see facing the students of LBCC would be the lack of resource information. I went through the entire fall term not knowing that we could get a free subscription to Microsoft Office, I thought I would have to buy it on my own. So I want to focus on promoting resources possibly on LBCC Live to let students know what they have available," said Ixthlahuac.


"A lot of things I see is that students are not being able to voice their opinions. Like how they feel in class with their teachers, they don't feel comfortable going to the dean or express how they feel to teachers. Students need to feel comfortable voicing their opinions on things like diversity, their goals, grades and how they are doing. I feel those are all important pieces to what will help them succeed in school," said Zapien.


"I expect presidents to lead us as a team, I believe teamwork empowers," said Hibbs.


"The biggest one I see is time limitation, it really limits what students are able to do outside of classes. Whether they have jobs, families to look after, have trouble commuting, etc. We need to build off of a lot of the stuff we already have like LB Live that has immediate connectivity to the student body so adding additional opportunites would be helpful to them," said Noll.


One of the questions addressed commuting as a common issue facing students at LBCC. The candidates were asked how they would create a better a commuting environment at LBCC.


"One thing I would do was to know when the buses arrive,  setting up something on LB Live to notify students if the buses are having any problems or if it's facing delays. That way students aren't stressed about if they are going to get to class," said Ixthlahuac.


"Promoting the rides that are on the LBCC app outside of the app because not everyone has access to a smart phone or tablet. We could also maybe have some volunteers give rides to students throughout the community. Making sure we put a plan in place to make it safe for students as well," said Zapien.


"A ride share and carpool exchange of information could be better set up online. I know LB already has a system in place for ride share and carpool information, but I didn't really see a lot of participants. Advertising the carpool information on LBCC on things like th LB Live could help introduce commuting availability for everyone," said Hibbs.


"I think having an electronic posting, on LB Live or on the school's website would be helpful. Having a posting to show what times the buses are coming, I think the other candidates have great ideas as well and we could bring our ideas together to figure out a solution," said Noll.


An email will be sent out to entire student body containing the voting guide and profiles of the four candidates at 5 p.m. on Feb. 24. Voting will close at midnight on Feb. 26 and the election's results will be posted at 5 p.m. on Feb. 27.


At a glance:


Ariel Zapien: Presidential Candidate

Brian Ixthlahuac: Presidential Candidate
Connor Hibbs: Presidential Candidate
Justen Noll: Vice Presidential Candidate

Eric Slyter: Current SLC President

slcpres@linnbenton.edu
Kevin Pena: Current SLC Vice President
slcvp1@linnbenton.edu

"The Student Leadership Council (SLC) shall serve as the governing body of the Associated Students of Linn-Benton Community College (ASLBCC). The SLC will also serve as a liaison between the ASLBCC and the college administration, facilitating communication between the two groups as well as communication amongst the student body. The SLC shall provide opportunities for networking, social interactions, and outreach activities" -SLC Bylaws Mission Statement


LBCC SLC Homepage

SLC Current Officers Page
SLC Bylaws

No comments:

Post a Comment

Photo J Assignment #9: Photo Story

Isaac Newton (Right),  Director of the student run production of "The Acor's Nightmare" consults with actor Jake T...