SGA President Ahtziry Vasquez, RSO Assistant Randall Hudson and SGA Senator Lex Coulter prepare survival kits for Welcome Week.
Have you ever wondered who puts together student events like Welcome Week and movie nights?
Do you know who helps create and facilitate student clubs and organizations on campus? Are you curious about who is advocating for student interests within TMCC college committees? Would you like to be more involved with TMCC too?
Look no further! The TMCC Student Government Association (SGA) is the group to know, not only for free swag the first week of school, but for all your student-related needs throughout the school year.
Ahtziry Vasquez is this year’s SGA President, and is excited to get started on their goals for the new semester and school year.
“I want to be able to bring together the diverse student body we have here,” Vasquez said. “Especially since we are a community college, we should be bringing that community together more often.”
The SGA plans to bring students together through events they host throughout the year, participation and formation of clubs and organizations, and creating an environment of inclusivity on campus.
Lex Coulter and Yuki Hida are both SGA Senators, and are nontraditional students at TMCC. Coulter is a returning student who came back to school after a break, and Hida is an international student from Japan. Both Senators want to focus on inclusivity, and supporting students like them who may not yet feel like they fit in at TMCC.
“As a nontraditional student of course I had some reservations about coming back to school, but once I was involved I was more comfortable being here,” said Coulter.
Coulter advocates not only for opportunities for other nontraditional students, but also for LGBTQ students. This group can feel especially isolated when entering college, and Coulter wants to make that transition for them more manageable. One policy in particular that Coulter is encouraging is inclusive restrooms on campus.
“TMCC is my second home, and I want to bring that idea to the community and make it more accessible for everyone to feel welcome on campus,” said Coulter.
Hida wants to be able to represent international students like herself, because she knows exactly what kinds of things they struggle with as TMCC students. Her goals are to help better integrate all students and make sure that students are becoming more involved in activities in the new school year.
The first big event that SGA is putting on this semester is Welcome Week, and they are hard at work putting it together! Welcome Week is August 27–29, and SGA members will be handing out donuts, coffee, survival kits and flyers for all upcoming events happening on campus.
Randall Hudson is the Recognized Student Organizations (RSO) Assistant with SGA, and he hopes that Welcome Week will start the school year off with a bang and get more students interested in attending events and joining or forming clubs. For Hudson, student involvement on campus is a key factor in student retention.
“Events last year had a median of 30 people. We have thousands more students so getting more students to come to events will be a major focus,” said Hudson. “I’m hoping that a lot of good stuff will come out of this year, and I think it will.”
For students who want to know more about how to get involved or what they can do, the SGA office doors are always open. SGA is located on the Dandini Campus at RDMT 121, and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“You can always come and chat with someone in SGA to find out how you can be more involved at TMCC,” said Vasquez. “SGA means student voice, and we need more student voices.”
Visit the Student Government Association online for more information about events, clubs and organizations, and how to get more involved with TMCC.