The De Anza Associated Student Body Senate is the student government of De Anza College. The DASB consists of a president, a vice president and seven subcommittees. Stephanie Lagos functions as the current president; Barrington Dyer is vice president.

At this time, two to three of the maximum 30 senator positions are open in the DASB Senate. Prospective senators must attend three consecutive senate meetings and participate in subcommittees to qualify as a candidate. The DASB interviews the candidate and determines whether to appoint him a new senator, according to David Sarkis, a DASB Senator.

According to Sarkis, John Cognetta, the advisor of the DASB, “helps out our procedural questions and acts as a guidance to us.”

Cognetta is also the instructor of COUN 106, Student Leadership, which is a two-unit class highly recommended for senators.

The DASB Senate usually convenes every Wed-nesday at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Council Chambers located downstairs in the Hinson Campus Center. The first meeting of the month is held at 4:30 p.m. The Senate meeting is open to the public. Students with an interest in the issues on the agenda are welcome to present in the senate meetings.

Aside from the senate meeting, each of the seven subcommittees meets once a week at an arranged time.

“We discuss almost everything in the senate meetings,” said Sarkis.

Among other items discussed or decided in the meeting on Feb. 28 were the awards for Kelly Bennett and Michelle Houde, the senate application process, Measure E projects for DASB and plans of digital marquees on campus.

The agenda and minutes of each meeting are posted on the DASB bulletin board next to the DASB office, which is located on the lower level of the Hinson Campus Center.

According to a brochure of the Student Activities Office, the DASB serves De Anza students in the following ways:

First, it represents the interests of De Anza students in the college and district committees when developing college policies.

Second, it supports the programs and services such as athletics, campus publicity services, clubs, creative art productions, entertainment, guest speakers, legal advice, open media lab and seminars.

Some students, however, think that the DASB could do a better job than it currently does.

Julia Tsai, a De Anza student who went to UC Berkeley before, said that the DASB is “too quiet” compared to the student government of UC Berkeley.

“I can actually see [the student government of UC Berkeley] doing lots of things for students. But nothing here [at De Anza] has changed after we complained about the cafeteria food for a long time,” she said.

“I think [the DASB] is doing something, but you don’t really notice it,” said Liling Kurakane, another De Anza student. “It took me a long time to find out that there was a DASB banner hanging in my PE classroom.”

Kurakane was a prospective senator a few quarters ago.

“It should be a good experience [to become a senator], and it would look good on my resume,” said Kurakane, “but then I gave up because it might take too much of my time.”

For any complaint and concern, Sarkis suggests that students contact Jaylyn Phuong Luan, DASB vice president of the Student Rights and Services Committee, at 408-864-8695.

“For more information about the DASB, students will soon be available to go to the DASB Web site after construction is completed,” said Sarkis. For now, students can go to the DASB office at the lower level of the Hinson Campus Center, or call 408-864-5432.