Associated Students: Building a committee and community

Inside the Creveling Lounge, lie two different divisions that students frequent. One being the student lounge, in which enthusiastic gamers whip out their gaming devices and play a variety of games; and the Piazza, where hungry passers-by sit at the wide-ranging tables and munch on their food. Within the vicinity of the lounge, in which green, polka-dotted chairs are placed adjacently, lies the entrance of a student-driven community where student workers and Associated Students (AS) members can be found inside the Office of Student Life assisting students.

There are various AS committees, too, that play a pivotal role when representing and working for the student body.

Being that an application is required to become a member in a committee, applicants are then interviewed by their designated board member and asked multiple questions pertaining to the type of committee they apply to.

Dedication and passion to their work is essential when selecting a committee member, as expressed by vice president for academic affairs Jude Khatib.

“My goals are to reach out to students,” said Khatib. “Because my goals are to reach out to students and have contact with them, I am looking for members that are committed and passionate.”

Whereas community colleges around the U.S are facing an enrollment drop, Khatib strives to combat this alarming issue by forming a sense of community among students, especially in classroom settings that emphasize group dynamics.

“We need to motivate and support students so that they can accomplish their goals,” said Khatib. “It is also important to have an environment where classmates can interact together.”

From taking small steps such as fostering a community to promoting diversity around the campus, vice president for cultural diversity Yahia Haggag highlights the importance of disabled students and their sense of belonging.

“My main goal is to give everyone the [idea] that we should be inclusive to everyone,” Haggag said. “Diversity is not just about culture—it is more than that.”

Cultural diversity committee member Alex Sarkissian strives to learn from his position to promote diversity around the campus.

“At my high school, I organized an event called Ally Week,” said Sarkissian. “Doing an event similar to that at Pasadena City College can be really good.”

While executive vice president Christopher Morales’ committees and inter-club council (ICC) are different from the executive board members, the members, instead, are selected based on a two-thirds vote. The committees consist of the funding committee, special projects committee, and service hour committee, whereas the ICC is responsible for organizing and managing the clubs here at campus.

Despite the process of selecting committees being different, Morales and ICC’s committees are responsible for the allocation of club’s funds, setting up events pertaining to ICC, and the approval all service hours that clubs pass.

In particular, the ICC is responsible for organizing and managing the clubs here at campus.

Likewise to Khatib’s idea of fostering a community together, Morales emphasizes inclusivity and communityship among the many clubs at the campus.

“My goals are to make the clubs and inter-clubs more inclusive in the council,” he said. “And the way I am doing this is by grouping the clubs together to collaborate on their events. I… go to their clubs’ meetings to let them see my face and to allow them to see that I am generally passionate about their endeavors as a club.”