New Student Government Association president Lisa English started her role in office on July 1. She has many plans for Bakersfield College during her term, some of which have already been put into effect.
English decided to run for president because she wanted to better the campus and make things more enjoyable for current and future students of BC. She also ran because she felt a need to give back to her school, which has provided her with so much. With her graduation coming up in 2011, she stated, “I want to leave my alma mater a more beautiful place than how I found it.”
Being elected president is an honor to English. She feels she is right for this position because she has the intelligence and the skills to bring our school to its full potential. English also expresses that the specific team of people she will be working with are amazing and together they have the ambition to achieve excellence.
In 2009, English served as a senator and made ambitions to improve the landscape in Campus Center. Very recently the area has been garnished with flowers, making a once plain quad a little more ornamented.
“It doesn’t look so dead now,” said Krystal Ramos, who has been taking classes at BC since her sophomore year in high school. “It looks a lot better.”
Along with bettering the look of the campus, English is excited about getting students more involved in school activities. She said, “We have also scheduled various classroom presentations to explain the opportunities in student government and the new Mentoring and Peer Services, Bakersfield Campus Organized and United for Good Health program and Speaker Bureau.”
The M.A.P.S. program is intended to help students with daily stress. This program is targeted at helping students with problems in many areas, from stress caused by school or work, to problems involving drugs and alcohol.
SGA along with Student Health and Wellness programs are responsible for creating M.A.P.S. in hopes of promoting healthier lifestyles for students at BC. Students interested in being involved in this program can get an application at CC3 or CC4. The deadline is Sept. 10.
B.C.O.U.G.H. was created by SGA and is being run by both professor Michael P. McNellis and General Counsel Sean Hill. This program is intended to promote a healthy learning environment for students at BC.
The new Speakers Bureau program is for students and the community. The election board will share information about specific conferences and workshops that they attend.
Town hall meetings are also being planned by SGA, where students are encouraged to come voice their opinions or any ideas they might have about our campus. More information about this will be posted around campus later on in the semester.
Another point English stresses, as does the rest of SGA, is for students to get more involved in their school. They encourage students to become senators.
All one has to do to become a senator is take at least 6 units, have a GPA of 2.0 or higher and be willing to commit 3-4 hours per week toward your student body. Applications can be picked up in CC4.
“I am looking forward to and exciting year of educational opportunities and the fulfillment of the goals we, as the SGA have been working on,” said English.