Every student at GCC pays a
$15 student services fee,
along with their tuition fees, at
the beginning of each semester.

That amount, added to the
money from vending machines,
payphones and investment
income, goes to the $262,252.72
annual operating budget for the
2005-2006 academic year.

This is then allocated to the
different college departments to
spend on various services and
projects, including the band performances
and special events in
Plaza Vaquero that most GCC
students get to enjoy while having
lunch on Tuesdays and
Thursdays, as well as this publication,
the El Vaquero. All this
and more is planned and organized
by the Associated Students
of Glendale Community College
(ASGCC).

The ASGCC is the school’s
official student organization.

Its
legislature meets weekly to
determine budgetary expenditures,
establish and review policies,
and coordinate programs
and services that benefit students.
Campus-wide elections
are held every semester to
choose 21 student leaders.
“We’re here to represent the
students,” says Tina Berberyan,
ASGCC’s Senator of
Administration. She said that all
students are entitled to participate
in all events, programs and
services financed by the ASGCC
because they “pay [student services]
fees at the beginning of the
semester, and a portion of that
goes to the budget.” This budget
is used for campus activities and
programs throughout the semester,
including athletics, dance
productions, theater, national
field studies and the newly established
cheer squad.

The ASGCC is divided into
six different committees, each
with different responsibilities:
the administration, which takes
care of all the minutes and the
organization’s constitution; the
finance committee, which manages
the budget and all monetary
matters; the campus activities
committee, which coordinates all
special events on campus; the
campus relations committee,
which administers all cultural
relations and recruiting; the campus
organizations committee,
which acts as a liaison with all
student clubs and organizations;
and lastly, the governance committee,
which involves faculty
and staff who help make decisions
and plans with the ASGCC.

In addition, there is an executive
branch, which oversees all the
committees.

“All the committees are different,
completely different,”
Berberyan says. “Some, like us,
have administrative functions.
We focus on the minutes of the
meetings and keep the agenda
updated. Others are more creative
and work with the [campus]
clubs.”

“We function as the internal
watchdog of the organization,”
says Thomas Dryden, Vice
President of Administration,
when asked about the administration
committee’s responsibility.

“We also participate in the
governance committees, which
concerns every aspect of college
life.” Dryden explains that the
ASGCC members get two votes
in the governance committee, a
group involving faculty, administrators,
classified staff and
members of the ASGCC that
hold deliberations regarding
plans and policies for the college.

By voting on behalf of the
students in this committee, the
organization is able to present
the students’ interests.

Being an ASGCC officer is no
easy task.

“Everyone in the
ASGCC is enrolled in [at least]
nine units,” Dryden says, in addition
to all the projects and activities
they plan and organize within
the ASGCC.

The responsibilities and activities
are time-consuming,
Berberyan says. “We have to balance
them with schoolwork. We
need to maintain a 2.0 average.”
But being active in the organization
also has a lot of perks.

“It’s the people you meet and
work with,” Berberyan says.
“These are diverse people you
don’t just meet in the classroom.”
“It’s knowing you can make a
difference,” Dryden adds, and
this is done by representing the
interests of the students in front
of the faculty and administration
and helping to enrich their college
experience by spearheading
projects and activities that they
enjoy and learn from.

Both officers agree that being
in the ASGCC is a rewarding
experience, which is what motivated
them to run for office in
the first place. “I like to be busy,”
Berberyan says. “I enjoy maintaining
a balance and helping
out.” Berberyan says that “helping
out” means making sure that
GCC students benefit from campus
services.

For Dryden, being in the
ASGCC is all about making a
difference on campus. “I’d like
to give back [to the school] what
I’ve received.”

The ASGCC is currently very
busy in planning and organizing
different projects for the semester.

One of these, according to
Dryden, is finding a replacement
for current GCC President John
Davitt, who is soon retiring. The
ASGCC will represent the students
in selecting a new college
president during governance
committee deliberations on the
matter.

The organization’s activities
committee plans a variety of
events that students can enjoy at
the Plaza Vaquero every Tuesday
and Thursday at noon. ASGCC-sponsored
activities for the
month of October include a
blood drive, a performance by
the Immaculate Mess band at
Plaza Vaquero, Athlete
Appreciation Day and Art
Gallery Day. The blood drive,
according to Dryden, was “very
successful.”

“It was the most
units of blood ever collected by
the health organization who
came [to campus],” he says.

The organization is also
working on encouraging the students
to increase their awareness
and participate in the Nov. 8 special
election, which involves several
ballot propositions that concern
issues like health, abortion
and labor.

The ASGCC encourages all
students to participate in their
programs and activities.

“Once
you pay your [student services]
fees, you’re automatically entitled
[to benefit from the programs],”
says Dryden. “It’s only
a matter of whether you choose
to be active or not.