The largest student-lobbying group that affects every student, American Student Association of Community Colleges (ASACC), celebrated its 25th year at a recent conference, and it started here at MATC, with Jerry O’Sullivan considered its founder. According to O’Sullivan, Student Life Coordinator at the West Allis Campus, there were other organizations before ASACC, but they were more focused on social issues. And even one, National Student Association, was being funded by the CIA, which caused great mistrust for many students. Fortunately for O’Sullivan, he had a mentor that had a much different vision.
O’Sullivan’s mentor was Dean of Student Services Alidore Vanderport. O’Sullivan was 21 years old at this time, and had just joined the Student Senate here. “So, here I am, 21 years old. I’d been working three cruddy jobs, then came to school at MATC. And suddenly, I had this wonderful man giving me opportunities,” O’Sullivan explained.
Vanderport had taken ideas from UW-Madison to create the college we have today. “He’s the architect of so many things here,” O’Sullivan said.
Vanderport had connections to former leaders at the White House, which gave him such knowledge of what was going
on. “He really indoctrinated us legislatively.”
As far as O’Sullivan was concerned, it was Vanderport who was truly the founder of ASACC. “They might give me a founder’s title, but I was nothing more than a lieutenant working with my students to fulfill what he asked me to do,” O’Sullivan said.
In 1974, Vanderport sent O’Sullivan, 24, to Washington, DC to learn about student organizations. They didn’t find anything much they liked, so they started the National Institute of Student Government (NISG). This was just two years after the birth of the Pell Grant. But shortly afterwards it didn’t make it.
In 1979, O’Sullivan came on board with MATC as Coordinator of Student Life, to work alongside his mentor. In 1981, Cathy Lechmaier, Student Life Coordinator at the Oak Creek campus, went with O’Sullivan to a conference, but couldn’t get anything started.
However, in 1984 ASSAC was finally created. O’Sullivan not only credits his mentor for starting ASSAC, but also Lechmaier, Rita Wood, Student Life and three students from the Paralegal program.
After reaching out to over 1,300 colleges across the country, ASACC is now considered one of the largest student-lobbying groups in the world.
Lechmaier now serves as Vice President of Advisor Network, Wood is the National Adviser to the Student Board, and O’Sullivan is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
The recent convention allowed students who want to be board members of ASACC to learn how, and gave advisers an opportunity to attain various levels. There were advisors and students from various states that attended this conference.
According to Rita Torres, “There are three levels of Certified Advisers.” Torres explained that there is also a Master Adviser. However, “unfortunately there were no Master Advisers this year.” She added, “Certification allows (the individual) to continue on by teaching courses at conferences here or at other student conferences.”
The MATC advisers who earned Certified Advisers level one include Randy Casey, Rita Torres and Patrice Jefferies. Archie Graham received Certified Adviser level two.
O’Sullivan explains the reason for this organization was “to let anyone know that they were important, that our students could make a difference.”
At the conference, Lechmaier said, “Twenty-five years ago community colleges did not have a voice. That’s why ASACC was formed.” She added, “(ASACC) is for the community colleges and the students in them.
