Story and Photo Illustration by Hannah Kampitan, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Candidate Angel Hernandez wins the Associated Students (AS) presidential race by 12 votes, ratified with no appeals submitted.
Nearly 400 enrolled Cypress College students submitted a vote in the first election, but the redo election only had 142 students cast their vote, an estimated 64.5% decrease in voters.
The presidential redo election occurred due to campaign guideline ambiguities between candidates Jordy Galan, Hernandez, and Alec Gibson. The redo ballot opened on Wednesday, April 9, and closed on Thursday, April 10, between Galan and Hernandez, noting Gibson’s drop from the ballot due to sustained injuries.
Of the 142 student voters in the redo ballot, 77 voted for Hernandez and 65 voted for Galan.
Though Hernandez has yet to be sworn in as the elected AS president, he shared his plans and feelings for the upcoming semester in an interview.
“It was a long battle, long campaign. I was pretty relieved, only because I didn’t push as hard as my first campaign…Knowing that the amount of effort I put in was worth it, is good. The programs helped a lot, very few people voted [in this race].”
Aside from reviewing first-year AS applications and giving a commencing speech in August, his first course of action is working with the elected Vice President of Student Organizations to create a year plan for potential collaborations with campus clubs and programs to increase student engagement. He plans on posting monthly calendars on social media and around campus to improve visibility.
Hernandez stated that he is willing to collaborate with Galan to build on ideas: “We both agreed on collaborating deeper with clubs and programs [in their respective campaigns]…push forward with new policies. I have my own ideas, and his feedback can help.”
In response to whether he will advocate or enact initiatives towards campus safety, which was Galan’s main focus in his campaign/candidate statement, Hernandez noted the lack of awareness of the campus blue emergency phones.
“A lot of students don’t know about the emergency phones on campus. We can start by doing an informative post on our student council page, posting photos of emergency button locations, and what happens when you push them. Just so students are aware of their function…and how it connects to Campus Safety,” he stated.
Hernandez hosted a “Know Your Rights” workshop on March 20 to educate students on the rights of undocumented immigrants, community and level resources, handling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) encounters, and more. With this in mind, he hopes to make a new committee for workshops for marginalized students led by an internal AS chair member.
As emphasized in a previous interview regarding campaign ambiguities, Hernandez stated, “it will basically outreach for marginalized students…to help and uplift them.”
He continued, “I want to make it a bigger required committee for the following years; I don’t want that committee to fade away.”
Angel notably attributes his campaign success to the students who helped him: “I would like to thank every student who helped me with this campaign…I will do everything in my power to push for everyone’s representation, just because diversity is what makes Cypress College stand out.”
To stay updated with Associated Students and upcoming events, refer to their Instagram page: @cypress_as or website: https://www.cypresscollege.edu/student-life/associated-students/
