Marcus Cosby / Bethany Peterman
Fresh minds aim to bridge ASG-student gap with visible change

Marcus Cosby
Presidential candidate
Major: Undeclared
Occupation: Student
Leadership experience: Corporate trainer and account executive
Compares leadership to: Martin Luther King		 Bethany Peterman
Vice presidential candidate
Major: Psychology
Occupation: Student
Leadership experience: Radio management, home business management
Compares leadership to: Dale Carnegie

Policy change and a visible effect on the students are the motivations of presidential candidate Marcus Cosby and vice presidential candidate Bethany Peterman.

Both newcomers to the student government at MHCC, they say a lack of visible impact on the campus is a sign that fresh leadership is needed.

“I have neither seen nor heard any impact,” said Cosby. “That’s why we’re running. We are both common students and we want to establish a more direct link between ASG and the student body.”

Both candidates have spouses, both are parents and both attend school full-time, but they concede that the roles in their life are naturally fluid, as ASG must be.

“The needs of the student change constantly,” said Cosby. “(Student Senate) must remain agile enough to change with the needs of the student body.”

He also said a gap has grown between students and the officials that are chosen to represent them, saying, “Senate has lost touch with the common student.”

He said this challenge is “one that many businesses face” and he is depending on his experience as a corporate trainer for Research Data Design (a company whose stated goal is to help businesses achieve change at a fast pace through research) to aid him in finding a solution.

“Our financial priorities should be educational priorities,” said Cosby. “(Students) have to be represented and have a voice in the decisions that are made on their behalf.”

He said the changes needed on campus can be simple, but however it is manifested, change is needed.
“We have a need to affect change, whether it is picking up trash, helping a fellow student who may be struggling or leading ASG into the future,” he said.