Members of De Anza College’s student government discussed implementing a new intern structure, adding positions to their new senate structure and presenting issues impacting De Anza’s community to the state legislature on March 3.

DASG President Amy Huang, 24, business economics and management major, discussed the feedback she received for a proposal aimed at improving the onboarding process for new interns and streamlining the transition to become a member of the senate. 

“The main complaint is that many of the committees are only meeting bi-weekly, (so) prospective interns have to go through a six-week waiting period,” Huang said. “If we go through with the plan, it could be a three-week waiting period instead.” 

After Huang finished presenting the topic to the senate, the new intern structure was tabled for a later, more in-depth meeting that would focus on the specific details of putting the structure into action, including the application and onboarding process. 

DASG also discussed the topic of adding four new senator positions to the proposed  senate structure, which would bring in a wider range of students participating in different projects and organizations around campus. 

Amrit Kaur Gill, political science major and the Chair of Equity and Diversity, explained that these new representatives would help directly involve DASG in projects related to social justice advocacy work instead of outsourcing it to the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action. 

“These senators will act as liaisons between their respective organizations and whatever projects they’re working on,” said Gill. “We hope that they’ll bring in their perspectives and opportunities related to social justice and advocacy work.” 

Gill also responded to a question regarding whether or not these new senators  would receive voting power. 

“We’re hoping that they’ll have (voting) power, which is why they’re going to be expected to attend every single separate meeting,” Gill said. “I’m still trying to figure out if we’re expecting them to attend every internal committee meeting or just one.”

DASG then turned the meeting over to three volunteers from the Public Policy School, a program that provides advocacy training to student interns on issues important to community college students. The three volunteers – Virinchi Kuppa, Asiya Shaikh and Lydia Wong – asked DASG to discuss important issues that should be raised with state legislators. 

Alysa Ngo, business economics major and the Chair of Student Services and Feedback, said legislators should reconsider a recent bill giving people the option to opt out of paying student representation fees. 

“During our little breakout session, we were informed that they are trying to make us not pay for student representation,” said Ngo. “They should make you pay for student representation because some of that money that goes into DASG.”

Chair of Marketing and Communications Jessica Lukius said legislators should consider recommissioning the direct bus route from De Anza to Foothill College. 

“De Anza and Foothill College (are) like sister colleges and right now, there are a lot of dual enrollment students like myself,” Lukius said. “Next quarter, they’re not offering online classes, and I feel like I am panicking because I can’t take the bus. (It takes) two hours to get from here to Foothill.”

DASG planned to follow up on some of these topics at their next meeting, which will take place on March 22.