One candidate will be running for president in this semester’s Associated Students of Cerritos College election,which starts on April 6 and 7 as well as two women running for Student Trustees.

Director of Student Activities Holly Bogdanovich explained why only one candidate is running for President.

“Several applications went out but only one group met all the eligibility requirements and had the needed 500 verified signature,” she said.

The legislature says that students must have a 2.25 GPA, must be enrolled in five or more units and must be a sophomore. Students should also not have any F’s NC’s or NP’s in the pervious semester, as well as 500 signatures.

She continued saying, “This has happened before and it will occur again, it is part of the process.  The last time this happened was during our 2009 Presidential Election.”

Bogdanovich still encourages students to vote for this election.

“Even with only one official candidate for president and vice president, they still need your votes to win and we always put on the ballot a space for a write-in candidate during this time, so the official candidates still need 50 percent plus one of the votes to win,” she said.

Despite only one person running for president, candidate Jasmin Ramirez says that her and her running mate Julian Del Real-Calleros will continue to campaign.

Ramirez said, “I feel like we dedicated time to get those signatures to make sure we were on this ticket, and we wanted it this bad.

Ramirez still wished that she had an opponent to run against her.

“In a way, I am kind of glad I don’t have to have the stress of what often goes on in campaign which is the bashing and trying to ruin each other’s image,” she added.   

Running for Student Trustees are Areal Hughes and Nallely Badillo.

Badillo said, “As for academic success, as a representative for the students at the board meetings, I would try to get more tutors available.

“Academic success comes with being involved, I would bring students together, that way, [the students] can rely on each other’s further success.”

Badillo wanted to run for president, but could not since she is a first year student. She then learned about the Student Trustee position and decided to run.

Hughes said that her goal is to give students a voice.          

“We all want to get our point across, and to get our point across, is to have a voice. And if you don’t have a voice, then you don’t have a point,” she said.

Both candidates have a mutual respect for each other.

Hughes and Badillo are also in the Phi Beta Kapa club.

As far as the president’s role is concerned, Ramirez said that school involvement is important.

“I feel sometimes we lack school spirit because you don’t see many people wearing Cerritos College sweaters, unless they’re in athletics,” she said.

Her other concerns are having a recycling program and a safety program.

All candidates attended the election meeting last Thursday.

Dance major Richard Silva was one of the students who spoke during the panel discussion.

He said that he would like for the candidates to keep the students involved.

“[The candidates] say that they’re going to get the students involved but they don’t come through with that.” he said.

Bogdanovich asks candidates to be fair, truthful, respectful, to remember that “everyone who is running wants to give back to Cerritos College.

“These are volunteer positions, and the court likes a good clean campaign that promotes the elections process and encourage students to get out and vote,” she said.

Voting starts from 9 a.m. -2 p.m. and from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. on both days