Roughly 1,300 GCC students voted in the 2004 Associated Students spring elections Tuesday and Wednesday. “This is the second highest turnout we’ve had,” said elections commissioner and ASGCC President Henan Joof.

“I’m enthusiastic about working with people who are going to bring fresh ideals,” said Joof, 21, an economics and political science major.

Looking forward to working with the newcomers, Vice President of Finance Andre Manukyan, 20, a political science major said, “They [the new elected vice presidents and senators] are new people who I can see grow throughout the semester and teach my knowledge to.”

It’s his first semester on campus for newly elected Vice President of Organizations Aaron Keshisian, 18, a political science major. Having been here for only three months, Keshishian said, “Getting the support of the students means a lot to me.”

One of the ideas that he hopes to see put into effect next semester is producing newsletters or booklets containing information about clubs.
“I look forward to working with the Inter-Organizational Council and being as successful as the current vice president, Arin Dersarkissian,” said Keshisian, who will be chairing the IOC meetings.

To some, elections are one of the most important events on campus. Voter Connie Sce, 20, a computer science major said, “These guys run the school and it’s important to have people who actually care about the job and not just the title.”

Reggie Scott, 22, a biology major, said, “I voted because I think that it actually makes a difference to vote.”

However, Ian Marks, 44, an English literature major, did not vote because he felt like he wasn’t familiar enough with any of the candidates and their plans. “I didn’t vote because none of the candidates really made a compelling argument about their policies and I feel that the election process has become a popularity contest,” said Marks.

Petitions to be on the ballots opened on Nov. 4. The students who wanted to run for a position on the AS and who had at least 100 signatures became one of the 36 candidates on the ballot. On Nov. 10, posters and signs began appearing around campus. The candidates had only eight days to promote themselves through passing around flyers and giving classroom speeches.

“I think the elections are carried out so quickly that the candidates don’t really have enough time to differentiate themselves,” said Marks. He said that students should include more information about their positions and plans on their campaign literature. “Maybe sometimes they can have debates showing their differences.”

Joof said that’s something that the next elections committee can look into. “It’s a good idea,” he said. “Why not?”

He also said, “If anyone who didn’t get the chance to run for office and would still like to be involved in AS, keep your eye out for signs announcing representatives at large interviews.”

Spring 2004 Election Results