A student candidate forum was held through Zoom to present the candidates who are running for student government positions on Wednesday.
There were seven Cosumnes River College candidates who spoke at the forum, which included Nancy Eke, who is running for Secretary of Equity and Diversity, Cristian Palomino and Carlos Bermudez Ramirez, who are running for Student Senate Senator, Eva Blankenship, who is running for Treasurer, Alexandra Lopez, who is running for Student Senate Secretary, Harsimarjot Minhas, who is running for Student Senate President and Gory E.L. who is running for Student Trustee.
Six candidates were unable to attend the forum.
The forum was moderated by Interim Director of Student Equity and Engagement Oscar Mendoza Plascencia. Student Personnel Assistant Jordan Cervantes kept track of the questions in the chat box for the candidates.
The candidates spoke about what they plan to achieve in the position they’re running for and why they think they’re the best fit for their role.
Palomino, a 22-year-old political science major, said he is suited to be Student Senate Senator because not only is this his second year at CRC, but he knows the struggles of finding resources and being scared to ask for help.
“I’ve noticed a lot of students are scared to do that because most of them are first generation college students,” Palomino said. “I feel like being in that environment and getting the help, I can highly be effective on promoting ‘hey, these are the programs and these are the things on campus that can help you succeed and further your education and assist you when transferring or getting even a certificate.”
Lopez, a 23-year-old biology major, said the Student Secretary should hold effective communication skills and be well organized because they are in charge of everything that is discussed in the meetings.
“I feel like the secretary should be resourceful as well of all the things occurring on campus and what has happened that was successful on campus,” Lopez said.
Twenty-one-year-old medical assisting major Eke said she is the best fit for her role as Secretary of Equity and Diversity because she has been secretary before, managed time, planned events and helped students.
“I just feel like the more I help a student with their needs whether it’s inside the classroom or outside the classroom, the better the student will be,” Eke said. “They’ll be able to graduate and move on with their life and just be the best that they can be and contribute to the world in a good way.”
Bermudez Ramirez, 35, an accounting major, said he brings in a lot of experience for his position as Student Senate Senator.  “I have about over a decade of being out in the workforce, so I have a lot of experience working in different agencies, either government or business related and can bring that experience to the student government,” Bermudez Ramirez said. “We’re going to be able to set what the agenda is going to be, what our president is going to want to move forward and what the students are going to want, and my role is to make that happen.”
Biology major Minhas said her position as running for Student Senate President is to be able to impact students and bring awareness to community colleges. She cited her time as co president of a robotics club as a source of leadership experience.
“There I learned that a leader is not someone who’s just like, ‘Oh you should do this,’ like not telling them what to do, but also listening to their needs and listening that they might be new and also helping them through that learning process just like a professor or teacher would and just being there for them because that’s a good quality a professor and teacher should have,” Minhas said.
Blankenship, a 43-year-old economics major, said she plans to achieve additional fundraising as Treasurer because she understands the difficult financial times students may experience.
“One of my ideas would be because donations are a tax write off, perhaps contacting corporations, such as Office Depot and asking them maybe for some gift certificates that could be on hand for students that are in like a financial situation,” Blankenship said. “I have that life experience and I’ve always had a budget in my own life.”
STEM major E.L. said he aims to go throughout each campus and through the district and to assist everyone.
“Be able to roll with the fact that we have certain minutes or bullets to hit, and then go ahead and meet the need,” E.L. said.
Sacramento City College Student Leadership and Development Advisor and Student Life Supervisor Deborah Knowles said that all the positions have something in common, which is to represent their students.
“We get somebody in the position that is mindful of the fact that they’re representing all the students, not just themselves,” Knowles said. “When a vote comes up, it’s not about what they want, it’s about what’s best for all the students, it’s about being able to listen to the concerns of your students.”
Elections for the Associated Students of Cosumnes River College is being held through eServices on April 26 through April 27 from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. To vote, students can click on other resources and click on elections & surveys.