This year the Associated Students of Skyline College (ASSC) council was challenged to do the following things: bridge the gap and build relations with communities both on campus and off and to educate students, faculty and staff alike during set events.
At the halfway point of the academic year, they are meeting those expectations as a council. They have reached out to constituents on campus such as the upcoming Foster Youth and Guardian Scholars Programs and hosted a couple of holiday gatherings to build lasting relations that affect the quality of their education on campus. In the community they have been giving back by assembling essential hygiene bags and bagged lunches for the homeless and have gone out and distributed them around the city of San Francisco. Among other upcoming community outreach projects the council has also volunteered their time to serve meals as part of the Daily Free Meals Program at Glide Memorial.
The council accepted the challenges put forth in front of them and this Spring’s retreat was unalike those previous in that they attended the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles to further educate themselves on one of Skyline’s most prized attribute, cultural diversity. The experience has brought some new insight and a clear lens on how to diligently plan and educate the campus through the events sponsored by the council.
They have begun with celebrations in honor of Lunar New Year and African American Heritage Month by implementing cultural traditions of Taiwanese kumquat tossing and a heart-pounding African drum djam. For Valentine’s Day the council gave out condoms, goodie bags, chocolate and pamphlets to promote safe sex. These are only a few examples of the events that the council will be sponsoring for the remainder of the semester and will continue to be a reflection of what the council has learned thus far.
With Spring elections coming up, now is that time to get students thinking about how they can get involved in student government and what type of impact they can have here at Skyline College. Stay tuned for Women’s History Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month programming, as well as more charity drives for the community, and an exciting lineup of events celebrating the cultural diversity of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders!
Article by Anjelica Gacutan
