De Anza Student Government (DASG) held several information sessions between Jan. 24 and Feb. 6 to inform prospective members of what the upcoming Spring 2023 elections will entail. 

Wei Quan Lai, the vice chair of DASG elections, said that DASG is dedicated to enriching the student experience at De Anza College.

“In short, we try to make your college experience better by organizing events and distributing funds across student programs,” Lai said.

DASG Vice President Jenny Trinh said the reason she joined the organization was to help students connect with each other and navigate college life at De Anza.

“It has been an avenue for me to help students and to bridge the gap between students, faculty and administration,” Trinh said. “It’s very important, especially for new students that are still figuring out college life. I know that it can be very confusing and challenging at first.”

The new DASG structure that went into effect this quarter includes executive and internal officer positions.

Trinh said executive positions will be voted on through general elections with ballot forms sent out to the entire De Anza student body. 

“(The executive positions) consist of the President, Vice President, Chair of Finance, Chair of Marketing, Chair of Programs, Chair of Student Rights and Equity, as well as the Chair of Interclub Council Club and the Student Trustee,” Trinh said. “You’re voted on by the entire De Anza student body, and you’re going to be campaigning to the whole student body as well.”

Trinh explained that internal officer positions make up each committee. The applications for the internal positions will be opened after the executive positions have been elected, and candidates will be interviewed by the current 2022-2023 DASG senators. 

“You’ll notice that our structure is broken up into trees, and you can think of these trees as committees,” Trinh said. “Each committee has one central goal that all the constituents of the committee work hard to complete.” 

Applications for all positions opened on Jan. 24 and closed on Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. for the general elections.

Vaniska Somani, 18, computer science major, attended the Feb. 1 election information session. She said she wants to run for an executive position because she is passionate about bringing her views and opinions to new places.

“This just seems like a great opportunity to show exactly what I stand for as a person,” Somani said.

Manas Verma, 19, economics major said he wants to run for Chair of Finance because it is related to his major. 

“I feel like I have a specific set of skills that I can bring to the table,” Verma said. “Joining DASG will help me in my future since I do want to learn more leadership skills.” 

Adeline Tan, 18, engineering major said she wants to run for an internal officer position because she heard that it’s a great opportunity. 

“One thing I heard from one of my senior friends was that (joining DASG) is considered having a golden ticket because it’s a great opportunity to be involved in college,” Tan said.

More information about important dates and deadlines can be found at DASG 2023-2024 General Elections Timeline and DASG Elections Winter Info Sessions presentation.