The Inter-Club Council, a student-run organization that serves as a leader for all 23 student clubs by providing a framework for successful club operations, doesn’t have term limits, which may hinder academic growth and discourage other students from running for an ICC leadership position.
ICC not having term limits poses a barrier for other students to apply in a leadership position in ICC, such as being President, Vice President, Secretary, Commissioner of Public Relations and Commissioner of Activities.
Students are discouraged to run for an ICC leadership position because it’s already being filled by someone with more experience–an unfair advantage that deters other students to “get their foot in the door” because of lack there-of.
Student Life Coordinator Rosario Garcia said in an interview that while leadership positions offer a good experience that will help with people’s academic achievements, not having term limits permits a student to stay in the position longer.
Students who have been in the position longer than two years have a possibility not trying other leadership opportunities, limiting their expansion of experience in other fields of leadership.
A possibility, Rosario said, is that individuals who feel more comfortable in the position can also prolong their time at the community college, longer than the necessary time to complete their academic goals.
“Don’t forget that you’re a student first,” Garcia said. “All the extracurricular activities are great because it is helping your academic goals, but your goal shouldn’t be to stay in ASCC or ICC for too long.
Rosario said in the past when taking a vote for ICC term limits, votes were not counted by club representatives who attended the meeting, rather by the clubs in total. A total of 20 club representatives attended the meeting and 3 were absent.
The vote won by a simple majority. 13 club representatives approved the vote, three were against it, and three abstained from voting, meaning the representatives voted neither for nor against term limits for ICC.
“It’s a vote of all active clubs, not just the clubs attending the meeting,” Rosario said. “If it would have been all clubs attending the meeting, it would’ve made the two-thirds vote, and obviously, it would’ve passed.”
But none-of-the-less a complete two-thirds vote of the 23 clubs as a whole was not the case. Hypothetically, there would have been a total of 16 club representatives who voted for term limits, not 13, to pass term limits for ICC.
Disagreements for term limits are due to thoughts of it being unfair, Students Programs Facilitator, Amayrani Ochoa said in an interview.
“They felt it was unfair for those who stayed here longer and wanted to continue in being involved,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa also said if term limits were to exist in ICC, it may inhibit those to continue being in an ICC leadership position.
“There are other opportunities to still be involved,” Ochoa said. “They can do ASCC for example, clubs, and even do the Clarion!”
Ochoa said that she didn’t take the traditional two-year time to transfer to a university, but rather four years. When Ochoa was involved in the community college she attended, she said she had term limits as well.
When Ochoa completed her two years in her position, she moved on to the next thing.
Garcia and Ochoa said that one of the main goals as a coordinator and facilitator for students is to make sure every student achieves their academic goals while at Citrus.
ASCC Vice President Dustin Glover said in an interview that he believes term limits would, “promote student success and student completion.”
“Term limits align with completion dates for programs and student goals, whether it be an associate’s or an ADT (associate degree for transfer), “ Glover said.
Garcia said that having no term limits in ICC can possibly lengthen the students’ time obtaining their goals.
Garcia said that she believes another reason why students voted against term limits is because students don’t want to let go of something that they are already familiar with.
“I think it’s the fact that it’s scary to transfer out and go to a new place, because this is a good place,” Ochoa said.
Garcia said that one possibility ICC can have term limits is by amending the ASCC’s constitution, since ASCC’s constitution has jurisdiction over the ICC’s constitution.
“They (ASCC) can put it in their constitution and say that ICC shall have the same term limits as ASCC,” Garcia said. “ASCC would then have to vote and amend it; again it has to be a two-thirds majority.”
Once ASCC has their initial votes, the whole student population has to vote on term limits and go through a special elections, Ochoa said. ICC members still have a say in the voting process, as student voters to vote for or against term limits.
Ultimately, term limits are beneficiary in allowing students “in line” an opportunity to take charge in ICC, allowing a sufficient time in the leadership experience and pushing those who’ve fulfilled their time in the ICC position to achieve greater.
