De Anza Student Government hosted an informative session to educate students about the upcoming fall general election on Jan. 23 in the Student Council Chamber.
DASG represents De Anza College students by hosting events, engaging with students, distributing funds to programs, and serving as voting members in shared governance. The group is “a united progressive senate dedicated to promoting diversity, leadership and student empowerment” through programs and activities that enrich the student experience, according to the DASG website.
Anish Shamarao, 19, economics major and flea market liaison, said the DASG Senate is led by the president and divided into six sections: Finance, Administration, Student Rights and Equity, Marketing, Programs and Environmental Sustainability, each overseen by a chair or executive with one to five interns. The Inter Club Council and student trustee positions are also available in the general election.
“The ICC is another umbrella organization where there are other student leaders that handle all the existing clubs on De Anza,” said Wadi Lin Lei, 21, computer science major and election commissioner.
The general election, which ends on March 7, will determine the next DASG president and chair positions, with results available on De Anza’s website by March 13.
“We’ll have the election for internal officer next quarter, which is spring, and the application for both elections will be available as soon as the results for the general elections,” Lei said.
The function of the chairman is to oversee all the internal senators and to set the goal for the committee.
Iris Li, 20, cognitive science major and student trustee, emphasized the importance of committee responsibilities.
“If you’re a chair, you’ll oversee all the internal senators … you’ll also manage the meetings and set the goals for the committee … communicate with the Senate about what you do at your meetings and through your other committee accomplishments,” Li said. “You manage and make sure that the committee is doing its job and that all positions are being served properly.”
Lei explained that students join DASG to build connections, develop leadership skills, strengthen their résumés, request university reference letters and earn financial compensation. She added that compensation ranges from $500 to $1,500 per quarter, depending on the time and work senators contribute, and does not include the summer quarter.
The requirements to join DASG are that candidates must attend the mandatory orientation, at least one senate meeting and new senate training sessions held during the spring and summer.
They must be enrolled in at least eight units at De Anza, maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and have submitted a completed application by the deadline of Feb. 3.
The DASG Senate Executive Officer Application can be found on the DASG elections website.
