Recap: candidates debate their platforms

 

 

The ASG presidential and vice-presidential candidates for 2014-15 spoke during debates held on campus Monday and Tuesday about assisting students with textbook affordability, better engaging the surrounding community with Mt. Hood Community College, and raising student and community awareness about campus events.

Alma Pacheco, who is running with vice-presidential candidate Cristian Urzua, wants to bring the Textbook Tradeoff to the MHCC campus.

“Just like the Barney’s Pantry, we should have a place organized so people could go there and trade their book, and do it personally — not through the (online MHCC) portal, because we do hear a lot that the portal is really hard to access,” said Pacheco.

Urzua called the team’s proposed idea “Barney’s bookshelf,” and said it would be located in the Student Union. Under this plan, students would “bring in their math book and ask if we have a business book, and trade it off,” he said.

“It’s gonna be easy, accessible, and that’s what our students need,” Urzua said. Currently, Mt. Hood has a tradeoff program, which is accessible on the portal, he said, but “many of our students hate the portal. Why do you put something so great on the portal?”

Kristin Werner and Diana Ramirez, running as a separate ticket, want to advertise the existing tradeoff program better than the current methods do.

“We need to make sure that our students are well informed of what’s out there and make sure they’re utilizing the available resources for them,” said Werner, running for ASG president.

Ramirez said she agrees that textbook affordability is “definitely one of the biggest challenges that we’re all facing today. Last year, I went to (Washington) D.C. and lobbied our national legislators and I had them talking about how textbook affordability is affecting me and many of our students here,” she said. She plans to do the same next year, she said.

Jonathan Beaman and Nathan Doering, the third ticket in next week’s election, have a long-term idea to pursue, if elected: They plan to buy the bookstore. But, Beaman, the presidential candidate, mentioned a short-term plan, as well.

“I would love to maybe have a table right here (in the Main Mall) with a catalog with the books that we have that are available to trade,” he said.

As for a student-owned campus bookstore, “I would love to have (a) student presence in there to say ‘Hey, it’s not fair to the students, and the students are why you are here, you need to answer to them,’ ” he said.

All of the candidates had something to say about spreading greater awareness of Mt. Hood’s presence to the surrounding community. Pacheco said she wants to let the community know about existing programs the college offers.

“Programs already have internships available for their students – like mental health, like education, like our funeral service, automotive, they already have those internships available,” Pacheco said.

“Education is possible here, students can come here and take advantage of the Planetarium, or Cosmetology, our pool, our rock wall, our gallery, our early childhood development center, all of those things are available for the community,” she said.

Werner said she would like to “hold more events off campus. Say it’s March Madness, and we could get into Geno’s…. and involve our local community,” she said.

She also wants to see open-house style events “where the public here joins us on our campus, and they can see what we stand for, what we’re all about.”

Werner wants to go to Gresham Chamber of Commerce meetings to learn what businesses in the Gresham area are saying and to provide feedback from the college.

“I’d also like to host small business fairs here on campus so that way we can connect our students with our local small businesses and begin the networking process so when our students graduate, they may already have a foot in the door into the workplace,” she said.

Beaman said he wants to advertise Mt. Hood events off campus.

“This will get people (outsiders) on campus to realize how beautiful it really is here and how awesome the experience is, and it would also help generate revenue if we charge admission for nonstudents to join,” he said.

“We could get people from downtown Gresham to help support our events,” said Doering, Beaman’s running mate.  “We need to have this open relationship with the owners and businesses around our local community so they can help with us here. We could get so much funding and donations from those people.”

Beaman and Doering also want to open up the campus for public use. “I’d love to see more public events held on our campus and get people in our community engaged and invested with what we do here,” Beaman said.

All of the candidates voiced ideas on how to represent the students and to get them more engaged. Pacheco said that if an event is aimed at a particular demographic, it should scheduled at a time that is convenient for those students. “If our target is an ESL/ENL class, arrange an event after their class time so they can benefit from it, if it benefits them,” she said.

Pacheco and Urzua said they believe it’s important for ASG leaders to have a good relationship with instructors. “We (ASG) serve as a bridge between faculty and student. We have to be there, and be the glue and connect everything back together,” Urzua said.

Werner said that it’s important for ASG to interact with students.

“Too often in ASG, we sit behind our desks and don’t get out here to talk to what the students want and what the students need,” she said. “We need to get out, spend more time and figure out what’s changed. What (students) needed at the beginning of the year might not be what they need now.”

Werner said she wants to have events on campus where students can get in touch with instructors they aren’t usually familiar with. She also wants students to reach beyond Mt. Hood: “I want them to interact with local leaders, in addition to campus leaders.”

Beaman and Doering want to begin a “Free Food Friday Forum,” where students would get free food and have a place to address concerns and criticisms with the college. “As the student leader, it would be my job to do exactly as you guys need, or request,” said Beaman, referring to students. “I am a representative of you guys.”

Beaman also wants to maintain a prominent student presence in all MHCC administrative councils, he said, to “make sure that the students, the focus of this entire institution is represented at all of these councils.”

Although it’s one of Beaman and Doering’s main platform points, all three candidate teams agree that designated smoking areas on the MHCC campus are an important change that needs to occur.

Online-only voting on the ASG candidate tickets will open at mhcc.edu/vote, running Monday through Thursday. Winners will be announced on May 10, during the Spring Dinner Dance at Persimmon Country Club that runs 7 to 11 p.m.

Dinner Dance tickets are free for MHCC students and $5 per guest. They can be picked up in the Student Union.