Criminal Justice graduate and current Associate of Arts student Ernesto Gonzales II serves as president of the Oak Creek campus Student Government. He recently participated in an interview with the Times to share his experience with that organization.

Q: What got you involved in student government?

A: I was “voluntold” by a close friend to join student government. It wasn’t a thought or even a consideration when I initially enrolled into college to join an organization. But when I ran into her she told me right away that ‘You’re going to be in student government, so make sure you’re at the next meeting!’
Of course, prior to this statement she had bragged to me on many occasions about how much the representatives do and how they advocate on the students’ behalf. But once I attended that first meeting my interest in student issues grew on almost a daily basis which also began to fuel my passion for helping other students.

Q.) Why did you run for the particular office you did?
A.) When I initially joined the South Campus Student Government association, it was in a tough spot with its leadership. There were a lot of conflicting and strong personalities for such a small group, but they made it work in ways that I hadn’t seen since I was in the Army and I liked it. After attending my first meeting, the other members whom I became familiar with urged me to run for the position of president. I thought about it for about a week or so, then decided to run and, to my success, I earned the position by way of a unanimous vote.

Q.) Who would you like to have the most impact on during your time in office?

A.) That’s a pretty hard question to answer. I would have to say that the students are those that I seek to having the most impact on. Taking into consideration that I’m a student as well, this shouldn’t be a surprise. However, I remember what it was like when I first enrolled in college and not having much experience or insight involving further education. Truthfully, I wished to have had someone who could’ve helped me along the way. Now, having experienced this myself and knowing my way around the system, I can recognize these same traits in other students. Because it is, in fact, a very intimidating process when starting college. So I made it a point of taking the initiative to help those students who happen to be in the same position that I was in by ensuring that they’re better prepared to take on college through means of my becoming an asset or resource available to them. Whether it involves providing assistance in classes, on projects, coordinating events, providing information like finding locations, finding info on programs, finding the ‘go-to’ individuals on campus or just being a person to speak with for either advice and/or enlightenment. I do this and have done this for everyone whom I encounter whenever possible and within reasonable means.

Q.) When is the right time for someone to get involved with student government?
A.) When it comes to student government association district-wide, it varies by campus. When it comes to the South Campus Student Government association, students can either go to A105, which is the Office of Student Life, to meet with our advisor Cathy who can provide a vast amount of information on what we’re about and what we’re doing for the students. She can provide contact information for the officers and an application for those who are interested in joining. Another option is to attend a meeting which we have advertised on every bulletin board on campus. If neither of these options are doable then our representatives are pretty accessible throughout the campus since most are here on a daily basis for classes and meetings, of course. Whether referring to Inderjit, Courtnay, Terri, Kevin, Rachel, Sabreen, or even myself, we all are pretty active and available on campus. Since a good majority of our time is spent talking to students both in class and in meetings, we as a collective group make it a point of being an available resource to and for the students.

Q.) What can the average student do to help you serve them better?

A.) The best thing to do is to get familiar with your campus SGA members and don’t hesitate to open up that line of communication with them. So, when we ask for your opinion on something like surveys or student Q & A sessions, it would behoove all who are bona fide students to take advantage of that opportunity to have their voices heard. I say this because we as your SGA members are elected to advocate, aid and intercede on behalf of the students. We intend and attempt to fulfill these duties to the best of our abilities as defined within our constitutions and bylaws. However, we will not be successful in our mission if we don’t receive the proper feedback that we require from those whom we’re elected to represent and serve… the students.