In a 7-5 vote the ASCC Senate appointed Daisy Ramirez, undecided major, to the ASCC Court at its meeting last Wednesday.
In addition, Chief Justice Joe Cubarrubio announced that he will be running for ASCC president and Director of Student Activities Holly Bogdanovich also informed the Senate members that there is a ballot initiative, to lower the community college tuition, that is being proposed to appear during the November election.
Senator Christian Galvez question Ramirez as to why she didn’t wait until next year to apply for the position and wanted to know “why now.”
“I believe that if I waited (until next year) there will be more competition,” Ramirez said, “and it is likely that other students would run.”
Furthermore, Ramirez wanted to represent the students and wanted to address the concerns of those that attend Cerritos, such as the bathroom facilities and lowering college tuition.
Party Whip Lexie Guerrero did want to know as to why Ramirez switched from wanting to be a Senate member to be a Court Justice.
To that Ramirez answered, “I had gone to the (Senate) meetings,” she continued, “but they were not as long as I expected.”
After the Senate narrowly appointed her Court Justice, Ramirez said, “I was a little nervous speaking to the Senate members,” but she assured, “I knew what and how to answer (the Senate’s) questions.”
Then the Senate also heard that Cobarrubio was one of four candidates running for president.
“I will stay on the ASCC for another year,” he explained, “this coming presidential election I intend to run for (ASCC President).”
Cobarrubio said that Interim Court Justice Ana Mendoza would run the Court meetings while he campaigned.
Lowering the community college tuition fees was also mentioned as Bogdanovich had informed members that there was a proposal to have the measure on the November ballot.
Currently the tuition fee is $26 per unit. The initiative would propose that tuition be lowered to $20 per unit.
However, the petition will need 600,000 signatures in order for it to be on the ballot.
Over the last four years tuition has risen from $11 per unit in 2002, to $18 per unit in 2003 to the current $26 per unit. It was originally contrast to $6 per unit it was in the 1992-93 fiscal year.
Cerritos College students agree that the tuition fee needs to be lowered.
“There are students who can’t afford to be to school,” Ivette Hernandez, business major, commented, “so there needs to be lowering in students’ fees.”
She added that she receives a fee waiver to pay for her classes and that the only thing that she pays for her books.
She said that not only does the tuition need to be lower but also the price of books.
“Without a doubt the most expensive book I paid for was for my political science book,” she continued, “and that cost me $120.”
In hearing that maybe the tuition may be lowered to $20 per unit she thought that $15 per unit would be better.
Paul Galvan, business administration major, said, “If the ballot measure took the students back to when the tuition was $6 per unit (in 1992) I’m all for it.”
He also mentioned that students should be “grateful that tuition is not $40 per units” because if that happened, “The Cerritos College campus would be empty.”
