STUDENT GOVERNMENT LEADERS PEACE OUT

Spring Term is nearly over, and the outgoing Associated Student Government president and vice president are happy to share some of the goals their ASG team met and their hopes for next school year. 

Photo by Megan Phelps / The Advocate

Bob Hansen, ASG president and Melanie Roberts, vice president, started the 2018-19 school year by making a list of all the things they wanted to iachieve.

One of their main goals was to increase visibility and spread awareness of ASG to all MHCC campuses – Maywood Park, Bruning Center and the Gresham campus. Hansen and Roberts said they believe this goal was truly met.

“We started going more to those campus, bringing posters so they knew what events were happening, and we started working with them to get a (food) pantry started,” Roberts said. The two say they have seen more people understand what ASG does, and have had more students apply to be a member than in previous years. 

The team worked on methods to better listen to MHCC student and staff needs. One event that helped them was Pizza with the President, in which students were able to speak with Mt. Hood President Lisa Skari to share what needed to improve on campus, and what was working well. Hansen said the event helped understanding of the resources students need, and, “if you also measure the relationship that has been built between the president and the college, that has gone up tremendously.” 

Pressing for student concerns was another top goal. The team has had many opportunities, one of them last autumn when ASG partnered with the Advocate to get student input on discussions over whether to bring KMHD FM (Mt. Hood’s radio  station) back to the main campus.

“I would tell the new team (for 2019-20) to keep advocating for students. We did good this year but we should keep improving to show the (MHCC District) Board of Eeducation how much we really do care,” said Roberts.

A third goal was to address safety issues on campus. The ASG leaders thanked administrator Fardwosa Duale for her hard work in setting up drills, and creating safety awareness events. “Our safety representative came into her position with a 100-day plan and has really implemented that well,” says Hansen, who has noticed a stronger connection bewteeen ASG and Public Safety.

Next school year, the ASG plans on having a safety evaluation of the whole school and wants all students participating. More information about this will be announced next year. 

ASG leaders also worked with Mt. Hood’s Student Outreach and Recruitment (SOAR) team to expose opportunities, resources, and events at MHCC. “We’ve definitely worked with SOAR more, they now come inside the offices and let us talk to the different groups of tours and we get to explain to them what ASG really does,” Hansen said. “ASG doesn’t only give (participants) tuition waivers, but it’s also an opportunity to fight for student voices.”

One of his biggest achievements, he added, is raising the ASG energy level. He’s seen the excitement of ASG members grow every day and is happy to be a part of a team that contributed to getting more students excited about ASG. Roberts noticed, too.

“Once we became this second family we knew how to work together, and work harder, and that for me, was one of the biggest achievements I’ve seen,” said Roberts.

Both leaders said they’ve learned many lessons about student leadership, thanking John Hamblin, executive dean of student development, and Doctor Abio Ayeliya, director of Student life and Civic Engagement, for their great support. The two also wish the new ASG leaders,  Collin-Kazu Lewis and Chelsea Allison, success.

“Give it your all, you worked hard for it,” said Roberts. “You deserve it; enjoy it, because before you know it, the moment will be over.”

Hansen will graduate on June 15 in Small Business Management, a two-year program. He also will be giving a commencement speech.

Roberts will take some time off ASG next year to focus on school and work on graduating soon. She also will be part of the Advocate team. 

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