Voting for the Associated Students spring election will begin Wednesday, April 21 and last until Friday, April 23, with the polls closing at 11:59 p.m.
The AS is comprised of six executive positions and one student trustee and for the 2021-2022 academic year, all positions are open. The candidates for the open positions have already begun their campaigns and participated in the virtual debate which took place on Monday.
The students running for the position of president are Madison DeVries and Ja’ren Kenyatta.
Madison DeVries currently serves as the Vice President of Activities and is also involved with campus organizations such as the German club and Speech and Debate club.
“I intend to focus our student government’s attention toward improving and promoting our school’s mental health resources, expanding the services AS offers to students, working closely with FC clubs and organizations, and increasing communication between our student government and all of you,” DeVries said on the AS elections website.
Kenyatta is a former serviceman, serving as a current AS senator and a former member of the Hornet football team. Many of his qualifications, as stated on the election’s website, come from the obstacles faced being an African American man, familial ties to the LGBTQ community and mentoring disadvantaged Latino children in Orange County.
“I’ve already started to fulfill my goal by working behind the scenes with FC administrators to create an on-campus study space for students while classes are remote, which I’m proud to say is now in service,” Kenyatta said.
Kennedy DeVries and Shatha Fadul are both running for the position of Vice President of Student Senate.
“If I were to serve in this position, I would dedicate my time to ensuring the resolutions previous executives have made become stronger and that many more are written to address issues at our college,” Kennedy Devries said.
She holds a senator position in AS currently as her experience includes holding officer positions in numerous clubs.
Fadul is a first-year student at Fullerton College and cites her qualifications in running for AS comes from holding a vice president position in a club that centers around heritage and culture.
Candidates running for the position of Vice President of Finance are Kyle Chen and Nada Ali.
Chen currently holds this position and is running for re-election for the upcoming school year.
“The pandemic has increased equity gaps which need to be brought to our campus’s attention to promote an equitable campus for all individuals,” Chen said.
Ali’s qualifications come from previous experience creating finance reports and promises to prepare an annual budget for AS that will cover the cost of student needs.
The three candidates running for the position of Vice President of Activities include Rayaan Mamoon, April Lymon and Sheree Brewster.
Mamoon is a student senator and was involved in organizing and creating the Video Game Night event for Fullerton College that took place in March. His experience in high school, being the founder of the Sports Fan Club, helped him “provide leadership, bring like-minded students together and have discussions with other peers to set up events.
Brewster is also a current student senator and is also involved with three book clubs and campus clubs. She is a non-traditional returning student with extensive experience in management skills.
“I am a highly active student on campus, and this allows me to interact with my peers and discover events and activities that are important to them,” Brewster said.
Grant DeVries and Tina Cruz are the sole candidates each for the positions of Vice President of Records and Vice President of Public Relations.
Grant DeVries is running for re-election for the upcoming school year. As a mathematics major, he plans to bring a voice to STEM students and their needs on campus.
“From day one, I will work to make your student government more accessible and adaptable to the needs of the student body by advocating for a more open student government,” Grant DeVries said.
Cruz is also a re-entry student and is the current Senate Vice President. One of her talking points in her campaign is her belief that everyone deserves a seat at the table with more diverse voices and opinions better serving the campus.
“Together, we were able to obtain computers, printing kiosks, study spaces, library curb-side pickup as well as wi-fi in the parking lot for students without access to reliable connections,” Cruz said, on her accomplishments as vice president of the senate.
Student Trustee candidates are Erin Lacorte and DanaRose Crystal.
Both Lacorte and Crystal site their reasoning for running for the position of trustee is to provide equity to all Fullerton College students.
“No one should have to fear for their safety, nor be marginalized in society nor employment nor in education. This country was made great by immigrants contributing their talents, building businesses, big and small,” Crystal said.
Lacorte aims to be a voice for students and create change on campus.
Student Senator has more open seats for the 2021-2022 school year than candidates, and write-in candidates can still be nominated and elected to fill the open spots along with the 11 candidates listed.
The candidates are Dat Duc Tran, Bianca Bravo, Elise Tewksbury, Eunhye (Grace) An, Vivian Lee, Angelica Castelli, Nikita Martin, Ekaterina Tusken, Victor Huge Ceniceros, Nelofer Siddiqui, Maria Cortes.
To view candidates or for more information about voting when polls open visit the A.S. spring elections website.