In preparation for the upcoming ASG elections the Student Affairs Office held an open forum in the cafeteria Thursday giving the candidates for president, vice president and secretary the opportunity to address the student population directly.

The questions covered a range of topics including textbook prices, unpopular school policies, the school’s budget and healthier options in cafeteria. The forum ran smoothly and the five candidates were given as much time needed to answer each question.

Once the question period was over, the hopefuls delivered a closing statement, doing their best to leave a positive impression on those in attendance.

For those unable to attend the open forum, below is short profile of each presidential candidate.

*Candidates were all asked the same questions via email and answers were taken verbatim.

Bryan Taylor

Contributions to City College

• I have volunteered numerous hours at the campus garden, Seeds@City
• I have volunteered for the Week of Service at Balboa Park by planting trees
and gardening the grounds to beautiful Balboa Park
• I connected Feeding America with the Food Pantry at City College to donate 2lbs of food each month

Goals For City College

If elected, I plan to EMPOWER the students to advocate for themselves and their community for a better educational experience. City College has wonderful professors, who genuinely care for their students, and we have a number of student services available; however, very few students are aware of this. Moreover, I feel that COLLABORATION on campus, and in the community, will help to create a stronger connection between the students and the city that they live in.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

As a husband, father, and Navy serviceman I believe I bring more life experience to the table.

Contact Information: Email: [email protected].

Zane Hunker

Contributions to City College

As a Senator at City College ASG I’ve been instrumental behind several of our recent achievements:

1) When I became a Senator our website didn’t exist, now it does and I’m helping to make it better all the time.

2) Our Centennial Martin Luther King Float. As a graphic design major I got San Diego City College Graphic Design in touch with the MLK Float Committee and the rest is history.

3) Working on Access to Transportation. Transportation has always been my personal passion. As Senator I’ve I’ve worked with a community Organization called Mid City CAN on behalf of City College to help advance a statewide effort to provide free transit passes to low income high school students including future City College students.

Goals for City College

Zane’s 5 Point Presidential Plan:

• Continue to improve City College ASG’s media presence
• Create a comprehensive multifaceted outreach strategy,
• Allocate more financial and technical assistance to the Inter Club Counsel
• Create an academic student senate to actively keep in touch with students in all academic departments
• Listen to all ideas and concerns and take action.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Much of my time in grade school as a special needs student has given me unrivaled experience and insight into just what it means to fight well meaning but terribly misguided power structures. I had to contend with school environments that treated me and my fellow students like animals. I only wanted to be treated with respect. I know firsthand what kind of disastrous effects that chronic disrespect can have on people. A big part of respect is communication and there’s nothing worse than feeling ignored and powerless. At times my classmates or I would throw chairs, punch through walls and smash windows to communicate the feelings behind all the words that were being marginalized or ignored by the teachers and staff. Many of my life experiences have battle hardened me and driven my desire to extend a hand to those who’ve been pushed down, provide direction to those who are lost, and a give a voice to those who’ve been silenced.

As challenging as much of my life has been, I have no regrets. I believe that there’s a reason for everything I’ve been through. After each school expulsion, having to leave behind everyone as well as all of the practices and norms I’d come to know only to go to another place and watch it all crumble again, I came to fully appreciate that I myself was the common thread. Even though my strengths, my instincts and my moral compass were up against a sea of opposition, I won in the end. I very much feel like my life is as good now as it could’ve become given the circumstances because I fought the good fight.

All of the positive results in my life made possible through my unique judgement and character have given me the faith to let my free spirit guide my thought process and reasoning beyond the rules, structures and consensuses that seem to constrain many other people. I have a vision for the world around me and I have the motivation to work to see it through. A free spirit and a hardened resolve are a rare and powerful combination.

Contact Information: Email: [email protected] Phone: 619-889-9193
Website: zanehunker.com

Adam Garcia

Contributions to City College:

I recently surveyed the students of city college to find out what kind of discounts can we provide for the students. I will see to it that this project gets done.

Goals for City College

One of my major goals is to develop community here at city college. I want students to get involved here at city and to develop a community within the campus. I believe that if students participate in clubs and voice their opinions at our ASG meetings, there is no telling how far we can go to achieve our goals.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

What sets me apart from the other candidates is that I have experience. I started of as a shy Senator then moved on to be the Vice President of the Senate and currently I am the Governmental Affairs Officer. I believe that I can represent the students of City college at the district level to the best of my ability and the positions I’ve been in has built me to become the next President.

Contact Information: Phone: 619 852 6223 Email: [email protected] or simply in room D-105.

Design by Joe Kendall and Celia Jimenez

Photos by Celia Jimenez