ASG-RETHINK THE PROCESS

In this crazy time we are in, colleges, students and faculty can fall victim to lack of transparency. And Mt. Hood Community College, in the past year, has been stuck in some controversy regarding funding plans around various programs, with “lack of transparency” being a common complaint.

At the moment, the institution is having some trouble over the Associated Student Government (ASG) election process. ASG is a big part in being the medium between the students and the college, and it is student-driven. However, a couple recent issues at the college and the campus COVID-19 closures have been detrimental to the state of ASG, and their role in Student Life activities.

When Mt. Hood was going through its serious budget deficit issue last autumn and this winter, it was the process by which seven academic programs were being cut that drew the criticism. It seemed there was a disconnect between what the District Board of Education and the institution’s Vice President of Instruction was after, compared to the wants and needs of the students, faculty members, and community members. This turn of events, which left many community members in shock, was a marker to students that in order to get their voices heard by the administration, they needed to give more feedback to ASG.

In a recent letter to the editor here at The Advocate, a previous ASG president at Mt. Hood shared that they were disappointed to learn that the administration may make a decision to make ASG president and vice president for 2020-21 appointed positions, instead of the elected ones that they’ve been traditionally. This is another conflict of interest, as ASG has been an important outlet for student voices, ones that are independent of the college institution.

At The Advocate, we understand that the current situation regarding the ongoing campus closure has made everything difficult, especially regarding ASG elections – but changing the vital process of voting would do more harm than good, and cheapen any declared recognition of rights of the student body of MHCC.

In addition, an essential part of ASG is to provide its participants the experience of not only leadership with real impact, but also reflect how entrance into leadership is done in real-world politics. Closing elections for ASG students would not only deprive its members of the experience on how to run for office, but also the full experience of running a government.

Ultimately, closing down the traditional elections for ASG candidates also sets the path for ASG to no longer represent the student body. It also allows questionable decisions like the academic program cuts made earlier this year to become more common.