“We’re here to help students not only succeed in classes but succeed in life and find their place,” said Los Medanos College Associated Students President Armon Gonzalez about how the student government is here to support the community.
LMCAS is the college senate that represents the student voice and advocates for student-focused programs.
To become a senator, students must attend at least two of the weekly meetings.
“As a senator, your main goal or focus is to simply come to meetings, be present, and listen to student voices,” Armon Gonzalez said.
As there are many events on campus, they are funded and supported by LMCAS, making it their priority to make sure that students are seen and heard for their needs.
Vice President Salvador Velazquez said LMCAS funded and approved the budget for the homecoming dance, and funded the bouncy house for the football game.
Advisor Robert Delgado has plans to build a culture for students as he wants to use LMCAS as a gateway for students to take on opportunities and be able to grow as an individual.
“It’s critical for the development of LMC as an institution, that students are involved in the decision-making,” Delgado said. “And LMCAS provides that opportunity [to be involved].”
To become more involved in the college community, Student Julio Gonzalez began attending the weekly meetings at the start of the semester.
“Coming here, it opens possibilities to join other committees, get fed other information, join other clubs here at Student Life,” he said. “So that would be a good gateway to become more involved here at LMC.”
Additionally, Velazquez said members are one of the first to be informed of plans for the college, adding “you’re basically learning what’s going on around campus before other students, which is a big bonus for us.”
Inside these weekly meetings, members do “report outs” where they review their week, allowing themselves to connect with each other and build a better relationship with the committee.
Delgado specified that “report outs” are a good way to build common ground in the students’ space so that they can be more engaged and open about their ideas for LMCAS.
LMCAS finds ways to reach students with senators tabling on campus to spread information to students interested in the school’s government.
Senators and council members would share their experiences with how they joined the committee and how it has impacted them.
Armon Gonzalez said many students may not be aware of the conferences that LMCAS attends.
Most recently, they attended a three-day Student Leadership conference in Los Angeles Oct. 11. They used over $12,000 from their conference funds, which Velazquez said is the largest budget he’s seen from LMCAS so far.
Delgado was anticipating this conference in particular so students who attended could develop their leadership skills and apply them not only in school but also in their future.
Armon Gonzalez said the conference not only helped his leadership skills, but it helped him learn about other colleges.
“It was really nice to meet people and see different perspectives,” Armon Gonzalez said. “It sparked a lot of conversation about possible changes in our campus.”
He thinks it’s a great opportunity for students and encourages them to consider joining them for future conferences, adding “the knowledge you can gain from attending and the memories you can make from being there will outweigh sitting in a classroom.”
An Impact and Student Senate for California Community Colleges conference are both scheduled for next month. There will also be an opportunity to go to Washington D.C. next semester.
LMCAS meets every Monday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the conference room on the second floor of the Student Union and they encourage all students and faculty to attend.
