Guest Column: ADVOCATING FOR OUR STUDENT ASSOCIATION

participation in elected roles, strenuous time commitment, and minimal compensation for said positions. Quoting unknown sources for complaints and creating hypotheticals to support his protest against ASMHCC, he constructs a clear argument against our student association. However, readers should note the superficial basis of this argument. Maintaining a student-run government certainly is not without its obstacles, but Finders’s points fall flat with misinformation. I seek not only to refute these accusations, but call into question the weight behind his criticisms.

and even dismissive of the many positive changes they have created on campus.

problems for our student body instead of resolving them.

Alessandra Dante Sciarratta General Psychology major/ASMHCC support staff

As the name of your publication is the Advocate, I would like to take a moment to advocate on behalf of our student government.

While I make no claims of impartial or nonpartisan opinions, I do aim to set a series of inaccuracies straight. More specifically, I write to respond to Kane Finders’s “ASMHCC’s Lack of Candidates” article, recently published in the April 28 issue of the Advocate.

In his column, Finders critiques the student government, claiming a lack of access for

One must speak for the character of the ASMHCC first and foremost. It must be clear that the Associated Students of Mt. Hood Community College operate under the intent to best represent and serve the student body of MHCC.

Any position within a government, even a student-run one, should be filled by those who are able to take on the responsibilities and commitments that come with a governing role. Should we not want our representatives to uphold these values? I consider Finders’s hyper-focus on the financial aspect of filling roles in the ASMHCC to be discrediting of the work-ethic held by our student government,

Additionally, despite Finders presenting otherwise, students here at MHCC do not need to hold a position in ASMHCC to participate within the student association. Simply looking at the description of the Associated Students page on MHCC’s website, an open invitation to join the ASMHCC’s discussions and contributions is extended to any student enrolled at Mt. Hood. Whether it be attending cabinet meetings in an accessible, virtual setting, or dropping by their office in the Student Union to speak directly to an elected member, the ASMHCC is wide open to any and all inquisitive students.

We should consider the fact that filling these elected positions, where students hold the utmost responsibility for representing their campus and community, is not a simple matter. It certainly should not be granted to students solely drawn to the station by thoughts of offered money and compensation. Furthermore, readers should consider that in order to pay ASMHCC members, it would require students to pay additional fees in tuition or take away funds used in student aid and on campus activities, creating more financial

So rather than thinking of a role in ASMHCC as a job, where wages are owed in turn for hours worked, I encourage students to consider working in ASMHCC as volunteer work, a donation of time and effort to improve the school around them.

Students in the ASMHCC dedicate their effort to organizing events and bettering life on campus, not because of a desire for ‘compensation,’ but because it genuinely benefits both fellow students and community members.

A role in ASMHCC is not a paid position, it is not easy. And nor should it be. It’s a role of public service, requiring dedication and even sacrifice, in the name of making our campus a better place. In light of Finders’s criticisms, I ask fellow students to consider their contributions on campus, and what we can achieve by donating a bit of time and effort.