(Photo by: Jasmine Mills.)

You have probably gotten into the swing of things this semester. Maybe you have checked out some of the clubs and events here on campus. Are you wondering who decides what student organizations make the cut? What about that added bit of funding to make an event even better? This is where the Student Senate comes in.

Every Monday at 1 p.m., you can see the JCCC Student Senate at work in General Assembly Meetings in MTC 232. There, you can see organizations make their budget requests, like JCCC Student Veterans of America, who, at the March 31 meeting, had funding approved for their upcoming Topgolf event.

Much of a senator’s work comes in committee meetings. These meetings manage specific responsibilities. Take the Service and Fundraising committee for example. The committee plans out many of the Student Senate’s initiatives, such as Trick or Treat for Kids, which has collaborated with other organizations to host Halloween activities and give out candy for the children of students and faculty. They also organize Service Week, an annual event dedicated to community service starting April 28. The event is hosted by the Student Senate, but is open for all JCCC students and community members to join.

“[Service Week] will be held Monday through Friday,” Student Senate Secretary, Olivia Mukanjiri said. “During that time, the service and fundraising committee has planned at least one service activity for senators to participate in in order to give back to the community.” 

The first event will be for the Basic Needs Center. 

“For example, […] we’re gonna pack care packages for the big Basic Needs Center […] on Monday […] that week. And so we’re also doing a drive for basic need materials that people can donate to and then you can also attend that week and help put those together,” Mukanjiri said. 

They will then continue by working with kids.

“[Wednesday] we’re volunteering at a local childhood development center and just hanging out with the kids, like reading books, playing, just activities like that,” Mukanjiri added. “And then [Tuesday and Thursday] of the week we’re also helping with the Clear and connect classes. Just going in and engaging with students in those spaces as well. And then on Friday, we’re doing a celebratory ice cream social at the Golden Scoop.”

The Student Senate works to support student organizations and help the community. It is also a voice for the student body.

We asked William Bennett, a Student Senator who works as a Student Ambassador, what issues he believes students think are important. 

“I think right now the most important thing is connection. Not only interpersonal connection, but also career connections,” Bennett said. “So right now I think that JCCC does a great job at giving people the skills for people to succeed in the workforce. But I also want to give people those interpersonal skills and those networking skills so that they can live a happier, more successful life  with the community, so that they can better meet employers or like internships or programs or organizations that they can use to further not only their personal but also their career goals. I think that humans function so much better with connections to others.”

Bennett wants to close this gap. 

“I think that there should be greater access to the organizations that the kind of trade or course would apply to,” Bennett said. “Let’s say […] Johnson County Parks and Rec comes out and talks with the biology students or the environmental science students. I know personally, like the woman who I was sitting next to […] she used an EMS program that she didn’t know you can do ride-alongs with EMS, but she didn’t know that because no one told her until a friend of hers said, ‘Oh, you can do ride-alongs.’ Access to people who are currently in the workforce or people who have graduated from that program, like alumni, is really important.”

Mukanjiri says these opportunities exist, but the problem is communication. 

“I do believe that there are a lot of opportunities for students to find information and to connect them to like spaces in which they can gain the necessary experience in order to advance […] in their academic career as well [as their] professional career, I guess,” Mukanjiri said. “But I don’t think that those events are as widely advertised or accessible to students. For example, last week there was a career fair where there were numerous employers on campus relating to many major[s], I know we have a large population of pre-nurses, kids, pre-health and then there were some political related companies. But the attendance is just relatively lower. And so I do think that students are concerned about getting the necessary experience and how to find those resources. And I do think they are available and accessible, but I view the problem to be in advertising, communicating and then really getting students to engage with that.”

The Student Senate strives to address student concerns and improve communication. Their goal is to improve their experience here at JCCC. But, according to Bennett, a Student Senator’s job does not end at the Senate. 

“Student senators represent the students, but they’re also, outside the senate, ambassadors for the student senate and there by the college,” Bennett said. “I think getting students engaged, it’s not just like telling them what to do, it’s also making them feel excited. And I think that our role as community leaders is to make connections with others and get them to be excited about being in college or letting them know. Because I’ll be honest, a lot of things I go to, is if someone I respect tells me to do it personally.”

Do you have any questions or an idea for the Student Senate? Or are you thinking of running for Student Senate yourself? You can contact their advisor, Mya Lawrence, at mlawre37@jccc.edu. For more information on the JCCC Student Senate and its events, click here.