The Clarion worked with the office of Student Life and Leadership Development to reach out to all of the 2024 candidates running for Associated Students of Citrus College’s student trustee positions to sit down with them and speak about their campaign.
This year there are five students running for the position of student trustee: Samuel Castillo, Isaiah Moses, Jennifer Rodriguez, Jonathan Johnson and Hina Furuyama.
The Clarion was able to schedule and conduct interviews with four of these candidates. Furuyama did not reply to multiple attempts to contact her.
Each candidate interviewed received 15 minutes to answer six questions.
Samuel Castillo
Major: Child Development
Q: What is the biggest issue facing today’s college students, how do you think you being elected could help solve those?
A: Castillo said one of the biggest issues facing college students is mental health. While he said he believes the college already has a solution, in the form of on-campus counselors, he would like to be a part of helping students “reach their goals… so that they can be successful here at Citrus and in their future.”
Q: Do you have any conflicts of interest, real or perceived, that might affect the way you perform your role in ASCC?
A: Castillo said he has no conflicts of interest that could affect his role in ASCC.
Q: Citrus students pay a student fee every semester, what do you believe should be ASCC’s priority when spending them?
A: Castillo said he appreciates free meals provided on campus to students during events, such as Denim Day and the Unlock Scholarships Luncheon, and is satisfied with ASCC’s involvement in those events. He said attending these events saved him money while keeping him energized enough to perform as a student.
Q: How do you plan to communicate with the students what ASCC is doing on campus and for them?
A: He said he plans to approach individual students and clubs to inform them about ASCC meetings while “listening to their concerns and providing support for their issues and addressing the issues to college administration.” Castillo said he wants students to understand that “the college and everyone that works here and participates is there for them.”
Q: ASCC is behind a lot of student events, what are other areas on campus do you think ASCC should have an active role in?
A: Castillo said ASCC should work with Citrus’ Campus Safety to address homeless people coming on campus and the graffiti he’s seen on campus. He wants students on campus to be and feel safe while attending Citrus.
Q: What way do you plan to revive a sense of community with clubs on campus considering the major decline they’ve had since the pandemic?
A: Castillo said he wants to let students on campus know what clubs are available to them. He said, “it’s important to continue and always remember what the pandemic was to us” but to “not let the pandemic hold us back.”
Isaiah Moses
Major: Economics
Q: What is the biggest issue facing today’s college students, how do you think you being elected could help solve those?
A: “It’s a combination of balancing workflow,” Moses said. “… Balancing classwork and on campus activities with responsibilities at home.”
Q: Do you have any conflicts of interest, real or perceived, that might affect the way you perform your role in ASCC?
A: Moses said he has no conflicts of interest that could affect his role in ASCC.
Q: Citrus students pay a student fee every semester, what do you believe should be ASCC’s priority when spending them?
A: “That collection of the student fee should … get funneled back to the students in some form,” Moses said. “ … The student fee should be a revolving door concept… more so being focused on pushing out back to the students.”
Q: How do you plan to communicate with the students what ASCC is doing on campus and for them?
A: “One is always going to be a social media presence,” Moses said, as well as “making sure more of the informative flyers that are posted around campus are in classrooms.” Moses said he would possibly ask professors to spread information about ASCC to their students. He explained there is no perfect solution to better outreach, but it’s important to try different solutions to see what works.
Q: ASCC is behind a lot of student events, what are other areas on campus do you think ASCC should have an active role in?
A: Moses said he believes ASCC should be the “forerunners for school spirit” and that’s where student engagement begins. He said there is little ASCC shouldn’t be involved in because “that’s the point of it,” they’re supposed to represent the students.
Q: What way do you plan to revive a sense of community with clubs on campus considering the major decline they’ve had since the pandemic?
A: He said it goes back to balancing workflow. Moses said, “It’s changing that focus as a whole to be like, ‘This is not only a stepping stone in your education but a fundamental part of it.’”
Jennifer Rodriguez
Major: Business Administration
Q: What is the biggest issue facing today’s college students, how do you think you being elected could help solve those?
A: Rodriguez said, “I think the biggest issues facing like college students today would be debt and being able to afford school.” She said she was worried about coming back to school while being a working mother because of all of the fees, even though she can receive financial aid. Rodriguez said she wants to increase the financial support students can receive.
Q: Do you have any conflicts of interest, real or perceived, that might affect the way you perform your role in ASCC?
A: Rodriguez said she has no conflicts of interest that could affect her role in ASCC.
Q: Citrus students pay a student fee every semester, what do you believe should be ASCC’s priority when spending them?
A: “I believe that actually it should go back,” Rodriguez said. “There’s always ways for it to come back to the students.”
Q: How do you plan to communicate with the students what ASCC is doing on campus and for them?
A: Rodriguez said she’d use social media, posters around campus and possibly asking professors to pass on information to students. She said she wants to make sure information is also being spread via word of mouth.
Q: ASCC is behind a lot of student events, what are other areas on campus do you think ASCC should have an active role in?
A: Rodriguez said during her time at Citrus, she’s seen a large emphasis on STEM but that she would like to see more support toward the performing arts. “The arts is something that maybe we should put a little more TLC into just because like they are trying to do that for a living,” she said. Rodriguez said ASCC should also get more involved with business majors, similar to Hootie’s Closet.
Q: What way do you plan to revive a sense of community with clubs on campus considering the major decline they’ve had since the pandemic?
A: “Posting more on social media,” Rodriguez said. “… I don’t really see a lot of social media stuff for Citrus so I think that needs to be a little bit more like paid attention to because… when students are able to see what is being provided to them, like it really makes a difference.”
Jonathan Johnson
Major: Architecture
Q: What is the biggest issue facing today’s college students, how do you think you being elected could help solve those?
A: Johnson said he believes Citrus is pretty cool and nice. He said he would like to give students spaces to be themselves. He mentioned how the Black Scholars have been trying to get a space, and how he would like to provide that.
Q: Do you have any conflicts of interest, real or perceived, that might affect the way you perform your role in ASCC?
A: Johnson said he has no conflicts of interest that could affect his role in ASCC.
Q: Citrus students pay a student fee every semester, what do you believe should be ASCC’s priority when spending them?
A: Johnson said he believes ASCC’s priority when spending should be giving back to the students. He would like to add more trips and cultural fairs. He said ASCC should ask the students what they want ASCC to spend their money on.
Q: How do you plan to communicate with the students what ASCC is doing on campus and for them?
A: Johnson said through emails, but preferably to set up a survey and let the students voice their preferences on what type of communication they would like ASCC to use to reach them if possible. He said he would also like to do in person meetings to let the students know what is being planned. “Building relationships with the students is the key before doing anything else,” Johnson said.
Q: ASCC is behind a lot of student events, what are other areas on campus do you think ASCC should have an active role in?
A: He said ASCC should focus on what he mentioned before, like organizing cultural events and talking to the students on what they would want.
Q: What way do you plan to revive a sense of community with clubs on campus considering the major decline they’ve had since the pandemic?
A: Johnson said he would like to build more engagement.
Online voting will take place from 9:30 a.m. April 29 through 8 p.m. April 30 via Wingspan.
To vote on online follow these steps:
Step 1: Review the attached candidates’ statements
Step 2: Login to WingSpan
Step 3: Click on personal information
Step 4: Click on answer a survey
Step 5: Click on ASCC General Elections April, 2024
Step 6: Select your preferred candidates and submit your online ballot
If students have questions or need help voting, a voting booth will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 29-30 between the Haugh Performing Arts Center and the VA Building.
The first 100 students each day to vote at the booth will receive a free Hootie the Owl commemorative pin.
For questions or to learn more, visit the Office of Student Life and Leadership Development in the Campus Center or call 626-914-8603.
Clarion staff reporters Kenna Jenkins and Ivanna Verastegui contributed to this story.
