By Rossana Martinez
The student body elected a new president and vice president May 14.
Samantha Coffland will serve as president of the Associated Students of Riverside City College and Shuana Kim will serve as vice president of ASRCC next year.
Coffland, a microbiology major whose goal is to become a pediatric intensivist, began participating in student government during summer 2019, when she was first hired in Student Activities. Immediately, at the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year, Coffland decided to run for Senate and became the outreach chair for the legislative branch.
“Once I was elected for Senate and began doing the work, participating and planning the events, I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to continue to pursue the president’s position,” Coffland said. “I loved the idea of improving our campus, being the voice of the students, increasing campus life and advocating for the students.”
Coffland is motivated by helping others and wants to make a positive impact at RCC as well as in other students’ lives, regardless of how big or small the impact may be. She has a passion for community and mental health.
“I believe that having a sense of belonging in college greatly helps with not only finishing school, but enjoying the time that you spend here,” she said. “I do not want any student to feel like they are alone or nobody cares about them. If any students do feel like they need a friend, I highly encourage them to come visit us in Bradshaw 207.”
As ASRCC president, Samantha will serve as the liaison between students, staff, faculty and administration. She will also present and enforce resolutions and policies that are approved by the senate.
Coffland plans to improve the Public Relations Council, which will help increase communication with students as well as help students with the transition back to campus. She also plans to continue advocating the student’s voice through her position.
“One thing that I plan to change at RCC is our communication with students,” she said. “One of my goals is to find effective, accessible, and equitable ways to increase communication with students.”
Shauna Kim is a first year student at RCC who plans to transfer to a university as a business major. As vice president, her main goal is to serve the campus and use the best of her ability to help students during their college years.
“From experience, I understand that Community College is overlooked and gets discouraging because of the experiences that are missed out,” Kim said. “I want the face of all Community Colleges to change and be more of an option for all people to come into.”
Kim aims to make university-style experiences available to RCC students. .
“Whether that be educational opportunities, social lives (or) more extracurricular (activities) to encounter, I believe that Riverside City College is the perfect college to experience that in,” Kim said.
According to the new leaders, communication is the biggest area ASRCC will be focusing on, especially with the pandemic that has overwhelmed and affected many students. They are discussing the use of Canvas for updating students about events and resources. Kim said she completely understands the frustrations COVID-19 has brought to the spring term and wants to ensure that ASRCC provides all the resources necessary to help finish the terms strong.
Coffland assured that her administration will be there for all RCC students.
“We want every student to know that we are here not only to advocate for them and create a better campus, but we also are here to be a friend,” Coffland said. “Our main focuses this year are community, transparency, and inclusivity. We want every student to feel included in our ASRCC family.”
