The Associated Students of Cosumnes River College held a candidate forum on Sept. 10 via Zoom to present the candidates who are running for student government positions.
The candidate who spoke at the forum was Francheska Delara, a 20-year-old biology major, who is running for the Student Senate President position. The other candidate was unable to attend the forum due to class, but has since dropped out of the election.
“I want to be the next Student Senate President this school year due to just wanting to help other students, especially throughout this pandemic,” Delara said.
Delara said communication was a key point to become Student Senate President. Delara stated she wants to increase the connection between the students and student government in hopes to aid the transition into the “new normal” out of the pandemic.
“Obviously, since the pandemic, there is a lack of communication with other students as well as the opportunity to get involved and experience campus life at CRC,” Delara said.
Delara aims to bring a sense of community between students, faculty and student government. If elected, she plans to input more student events in hopes of inspiring and motivating fellow peers to join on-campus extracurriculars.
“I just want to acknowledge that we are here to help,” Delara said.
Delara said breaking the “community college stigma” is part of her role if elected as Student Senate President. She said she wants to support and empower community college students to their highest potential, and give them the resources that they need to reach their goals.
“Our mission is to really help give them the resources and advantages that they could possibly get from CRC, whether it be educationally, academically or socially,” Delara said.
Delara has originally held the senator position on the ASCRC since 2019. Her main focus as senator was the mental and physical health of CRC students.
Delara organized and planned stress relief events, both on campus and online. She created a committee of students that planned activities to relieve pre-finals week stress, such as stress ball making, guided meditations and therapy dogs.
Delara first sparked interest in running for student government because of her sister, who was a past student senator. She said she has gained confidence and leadership skills since her time on ASCRC.
The organizer of the forum and Student Life Supervisor, Oscar Mendoza Plascencia, expressed the importance of the candidate’s role in student government.
“I like doing these events because it closes the gap between students and faculty,” Plascencia said.
Plascencia said the significance of student voices are principal to the sense of community one can feel from CRC, especially during the pandemic.
“I think the biggest role for Francheska, in particular, is the engagement she can bring forth from students on campus,” Plascencia said.
“I just want them to understand that their voice matters,” Plascencia said.
Plasencia said, in a time where communication is limited, the candidate’s role in engaging participation and community can be vital for the college experience for current and future students.
Elections for ASCRC are being held through eServices on Sept. 22 through Sept. 23 from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Online voting can be accessed through an eServices student account.
For more information, visit the Student Life and Leadership Center’s Instagram at @studentlifecrc and the ASCRC Instagram at @official_ascrc.