Student leadership roles in Richland SGA are being vacated as the 2023-2024 academic year comes to an end. With current leadership moving on to the next stages in their academic careers, nearly all seats will be contested by new individuals.
The Richland Campus Student Government Association officer positions, including secretary, treasurer, historian, vice president and president, and several senator seats, are open to any and all students at Dallas College.
The intent to run deadline has passed, and campaigning is just beginning. Campaign week for candidates will start April 1, with election day being the following week. On April 10 students will have the opportunity to meet the candidates as they will be lined up in El Paso Hall with pizza offered as a reward for engaging with candidates.
Amid the transition, current SGA Secretary Kent Ho offered his insights. Intent to run for vice president seems to see more competition than the other positions, Ho said, and many candidates are women.
This statistic excited Vice President Arianna Villareal, who reflected on her time as VP of the Richland SGA at the Dallas College board of trustees regular meeting on March 5. “Giving back by serving as a voice for thousands of students was one of the biggest honors I have had during my Dallas College career,” she said.
While leadership positions add to resumes and prestige, they also come with commitment and responsibilities acknowledged by several current officers.
“In this position, you kind of have to talk to people, that’s the point. You are the voice of the people, so you need to speak,” said Em-manual Kisin, senator-at-large for workforce advancements.
On top of speaking to peers about issues they are facing, SGA also oversees clubs and student events happening on campus.
Through volunteer work on event day or preparing and organizing the event ahead of time, SGA officers are presented with time-consuming tasks requiring dedication to the campus.
Changes students would like to see typically go through SGA to have a greater impact on the campus community. Richland SGA Adviser Kelly Sonnanstine said it is important for students to be involved in their community.
“Your voice matters here, just as it does in the United States. The notion that ‘my voice doesn’t count’ is not true.”
She said representation is often taken for granted “Plenty of students at Dallas College and the Richland Campus come from countries where they don’t have the chance to vote,” Sonnanstine said. Students can voice their opinions through voting, but a more direct way of reaching SGA officers exists. At all general assemblies, any student can represent resolutions on important topics.
The current SGA president must review the resolution, after a process the resolution may be presented, and a movement may be called to vote on the resolution.
Resolutions have the power to be pushed to counsels of higher degree leaving an impact on a greater population.
Current SGA President Antonio Ramirez frequently highlighted the importance of student impact, holding an officer position is more than just merit. “It’s about leaving a legacy,” Ramirez said.
Through hard work, SGA members have opened doors for not only future officers but for Dallas College students alike. Lan Vu, sen-ator-at-large for student success spoke on the impact of the current SGA cabinet.
“We have been building SGA,” Vu said, “We built it roughly from scratch.” Vu added that the previous year saw less involvement and competition when it came to elections. To keep a growing trend, Ho said, he would like to see new leaders be more engaging with new students, progress takes time and the work ethic matters.
Ho offered a word to the candidates regarding student voices.
“Those people who are running, they have to have platforms. They have to be more open to what their ideas are. … Nobody is higher than you. Nobody is lower than you. Everyone has a voice,” Ho said.