By Alethia Meloncon
By Alethia Meloncon
Newly elected Student Trustee Yajaira Tiscareno is hoping to get more students to come out and vote for bill SB 361.
The bill is slated to bring more funding to the Riverside Community College District by equalizing the way that funds are dispersed throughout California.
Additionally, it should advocate growth and increased financial allocations for California community colleges.
Introduced by Senator Jack Scott (D-Pasadena), the bill would change the way that funds are distributed by replacing the current allocation guidelines.
The way that the current system works is by placing schools into five “categories of operation.”
In each category, certain standards determine how much funding is necessary on a per school basis.
Under the current system, categories include pre-kindergarten to high school. Funds are dispersed based on need. This leaves community colleges usually at the end of the line with whatever is left over.
The new bill would allocate the funds in equal amounts for every school.
Tiscareno said that this would be a relief for many students. Many RCCD students struggle with the rising tuition and book costs. The bill would reduce these costs to assist students and encourage them to further their education.
She hopes, with this information, RCCD students will come out and vote to get the bill passed.
Tiscareno’s job as student trustee includes working directly with the Associated Student Body president, vice president and three District senators on the Riverside, Moreno Valley and Norco campuses. She is also the voice of the students at the Board of Trustees meetings, although she has no actual capacity to vote.
In addition to pushing for the bill, her plans this year include getting the three campuses to interact more creating a shared governance.
The student government started this year by having a retreat that was held at Poly Mountains in San Jacinto. Tiscareno said that they shared ideas of how the three campuses can work toward becoming one government and what they would like to see in the future at the RCC.
Tiscareno is a political science major who got started in student government as a senator here at RCCD. She enjoys being involved with government and participating in the process.
After serving this year as student trustee she would like to get involved with the California State Senate. Her plans are to transfer in two years to Stanford University and obtain her bachelors and from there she hopes to become a politician.
She hopes that her efforts in the student government will build a stronger and more unified RCCD.
