By T. L. Hupfer
thupfer@student.alamo.edu
Student Government Association President Andrew Hubbard said Tuesday he is not running for re-election or any other student government position.
“I have served a year and now I’m done,” Hubbard said.
The deadline to apply for one of 10 positions in SGA for 2014-15 is April 4, and the election date has not been scheduled.
Hubbard said if the president-elect asks him to be the next ex officio member he will accept, but if a mutual agreement is not made he will not actively participate in SGA.
He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of any leadership roles but said it is highly unlikely he will be president of any organizations because he plans to graduate at the end of the fall semester with a liberal arts degree.
Hubbard said he walked into the presidency this semester with three goals: forming a student district council, bringing the student activity fee increase to a student vote and opening a spot for a nonvoting student trustee on the Alamo Colleges board of trustees.
His first goal was to reach out to every Alamo Colleges government association and pull them together to “create a council that didn’t govern each other but came together and was able to have a unified voice.”
He called this the super SGA project, known now as the Student District Council, which was formalized in the fall. They met six times last semester and this semester.
The second goal, bringing a proposed doubling of the student activity fee to a student vote, was accomplished. Students opposed the increase 884 against, 500 for.
Hubbard said he still accomplished his goal because he wanted it to be a student vote.
“I wasn’t about ready to decide for them,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard’s third goal was creating the policy for a student trustee. He calls it the crown jewel and defining moment of his term as presidency.
Trustees approved adding a nonvoting student Feb. 18 at the regular board meeting. Each college’s student government association will select one nominee and in April the board will interview them and make a selection by the regular board meeting May 13.
“The idea didn’t originate with me,” Hubbard said. “It came from talks between my predecessors and the district administration where they really created the blueprint for the policy. Then when I ran and won as president I took their blueprints to the SDC.” Hubbard said.
“We came to a consensus on the way we wished it to look and took it to the board of trustees in a series of formal meetings.”
Hubbard said accomplishing his three goals wasn’t his legacy. He said the only things he did on his own was passing out hot chocolate and Scantrons during finals week.
“I was a leader, but I was never alone,” he said.
Hubbard said the next president should be open-minded, and open-hearted, love the students they serve, protect the officers they serve with by insuring they are fully informed and have the right tools to do the job and be a support system when needed.
