De Anza Student Government held its weekly general senate meetings in the Student Council Chambers on Feb. 28 and March 6. DASG discussed scheduling for STEM labs and the potential construction of a new health clinic which could displace the De Anza Flea Market. 

Isaac Tsang, DASG vice president, presented research on how the STEM lab times collide, causing scheduling issues for students who require specific credits. 

Because students are likely to take just one lab per department per quarter, collisions are defined as when one lab coincides or overlaps with a lab from a separate department. DASG found that within the sections in BIOL 6, PHYS 4, and CHEM 1 and 12, there were 32 unique pairs of collisions. 

“What happens if students are going to pick their classes, but they’re not offered, or there’s not enough room for them to take those classes? I wanted to see if there were any optimizations, changes, or improvements that we could make in terms of class schedules,” Tsang said. 

Possible solutions in the presentation included standardizing the start times of STEM labs to reduce collisions. Tsang pointed out that there are currently twelve different start times between De Anza’s offered labs, and because each lab lasts for two hours and fifty minutes, syncing start times would align with end times as well. 

DASG plans to facilitate more coordination between departments, making a variety of STEM classes easier to fit into students’ schedules. The Senate has drafted a resolution to be reviewed.

The senate then moved on to discuss Measure G, which allocates bonds for De Anza to use for updating infrastructure and making general improvements to the campus. The major change scheduled to be made is the demolition of the outdated Flint Center. 

DASG discussed the reallocation of Measure G funds, with conflicting budgets for updates to the arts quad and the construction of a new Student Services Building. A tighter budget means that De Anza will possibly have to choose between the two. 

A potential new health clinic on De Anza’s campus may also affect Measure G spending. The Senate noted that its location is planned for Lot B, where De Anza’s monthly flea market takes place. Its construction would completely displace the flea market, which is “not adaptable.” 

Hyon Chu Yi-Baker, advisor and director of College Life, said that the health clinic presented several downsides, including ending employment for students who work at the flea market. The flea market also generates revenue for DASG, which would be a significant loss. 

“It’s more than the impact that it has on our campus, but we also need to show our leadership,” Yi-Baker said. “If we don’t have our flea market, we’re saying to our community, ‘we don’t care that we’ve been here for fifty years.’” 

The health clinic could host internships for nursing students, but Tsang said that they would lack the facilities to offer the required credits. 

“It doesn’t help De Anza in any significant way,” Tsang said. 

Guest speaker and program coordinator, Sushini Chand, announced a reworking of De Anza Connect, a platform offering student support and a place to direct questions. It is currently located on MyPortal, where students can submit a form requesting assistance. 

“Knowing that there is a gap in communication, one of the things I’m working on is creating a hub for students where all of the resources are there,” Chand said. 

Chand plans for the updated Connect hub to offer academic counseling, library and Extended Opportunity Programs and Services services, computer and calculator checkout, and other resources. Its prospective launch date is the 2024 fall quarter. 

A panel of Senate members presented a summary of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges Advocacy & Policy conference. Participating senators attended conference workshops, met with local political aids, and observed the legislative process in action. 

DASG meets every Wednesday at 4 p.m. Agendas for past meetings can be found on their website.