Three in race for student presidency

The campaign for the Associated Students of Laney College (ASLC) began March 23 and we've got the profiles of the presidential running mates for this year! Students can vote on April 28 and April 29 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Student Center, 2nd floor. Get to know your presidential candidates at a debate, held on April 21 at 12 p.m. on the Quad, and rock the vote for Laney!

Ju Hong

Ju Hong is a Political Science major at Laney and has attended the school for two years. His experience in office consists of participation in student government in high school and he is Laney's current senator.

Ju is running for president because he wants Laney to be the center of learning and intelligence. "I want Laney to be a sanctuary place. A place where people can learn and gain knowledge…a place where there is community and where people can help one another," Ju said.

Ju plans to increase scholarships, especially for undocumented students and low-income students. He also plans to increase spending on student clubs and activities.

His priorities lie in providing students with equal opportunities for a higher education. Ju also explained, that he wants Laney students to, "get involved and more engaged."

The biggest challenge facing Laney students, according to Ju, is communication due to the diversity of the school. He hopes to overcome those challenges by reaching out to students of different backgrounds by providing broader translation services. He also wants to arrange town hall meetings to increase awareness of important school issues.

Ray Henderson

Ray Henderson is a Business and Ethnic Studies major. He has been a Laney student for a year. Ray is Laney's current president and is running for a second term.

He is running for a second term because he feels he needs more time to complete his agenda. "Having held the position for only half of a school year…I feel like I'm just now starting to make moves…I want to finish my goals," said Ray.

He thinks the budget should be allocated efficiently for student needs. He emphasized allocating money for cultural events and also for student organized events.

In Ray's words, his priority is, "to make Laney the best community college in America…to unite all the students." He believes that if Laney's diversity is used positively that it can be diverted into greatness.

To biggest challenge for students, according to Ray, is getting everyone to work together and utilized the resources that Laney offers.

Courtney Hom

Courtney Hom is an International Relations major and she has been at Laney for two years. She also works for the City of Oakland. Last year she held the position of senator and she is currently the secretary for Laney.

Courtney is running for president this year because, having climbed through the political hierarchy at Laney, she feels being president will enable her to do more for the school.

She thinks the student body budget should be designated mainly for student activities.

Her priorities are to have students and staff working together to bring out the best qualities of the campus. Courtney also wants to focus on, "making Laney more culturally diverse," she explained. Although Laney has made some headway on environmental issues, Courtney wants to focus on making the school even more environmentally friendly. She said, "it would be great to have Laney as an example of a school that's trying to be progressive and environmentally friendly."

Courtney thinks that Laney students do not have adequate resources and she wants to address that issue. She hopes to improve informative outlets for students such as counseling, so that students can accomplish their goals more efficiently and effectively.