Less than .01 percent of students voted in a special election to replace recalled former Student Trustee.
In another widely under-attended election, Keith “KC” Kimber, from Sacramento City College, was elected as the new Student Trustee in a special election to replace former Student Trustee Bryan Ryan.
Kimber won the election over Kindra Pring, from American River College, and Carla Garcia, from Folsom Lake College.
The Student Trustee is a position that is crucial to the student experience in the Los Rios Community College District. Although many students do not know this position exists, the Student Trustee represents the student prospective and acts in the interest of the entire Los Rios student population when it comes to district Board of Trustee votes that determine district policies.
Only 569 students total, from all of the Los Rios campuses, voted in this special election. When asked why he voted, Joseph McNeely, an electrical engineering major at ARC, said, “My friends made me vote. It’s not really my thing.”
As the turnout shows, voting doesn’t appear to be many students’ “thing.” Student Senate elections generally haven’t earned a high ranking in the minds of ARC students, as shown by the poor attendance in past elections.
The entire voting process takes less than a minute from check-in to officially casting a vote, making it highly convenient and time efficient for students. However, for an election with such importance, only a few short billboards decorated with patriotic clip art and tiny blue and white balloons drew attention to the two voting locations at ARC.
This special election was atypical, only stemming from a rare recall of former Student Trustee Ryan last Nov. According to Resolution F 12-20, Ryan was recalled for a lack of communication with senate presidents and would act contrary to the interests and welfare of students.
In his election biography, Kimber said he “will be a fearless voice for [students]… so that the real voice and needs of all students are fully represented.”
His past experience in the SSC Student Senate and other political clubs, along with his chosen major in liberal arts, allows Kimber a “unique and broad perspective that allows him to see things from the point of view of students in many different fields.”
Although the Student Trustee acts on behalf of students on all campuses, Pring insures that ARC students continue to be in good hands with current ASB President Quierra Robey, saying “She is very effective at communicating what the issues are at ARC to the student trustees and to the district, even if she had to go around [Ryan] to do it.”
Despite violation reports, Kimber proved he’s ready to take on the Student Trustee position. Kimber stated, “Where others might be afraid of retaliation for taking a stand, [that is the] very thing that drives me in my pursuit of excellence and for providing opportunities for all students.”
