The new president of the Associated Student Government, Brandon McLaughlin, said his first priority this year is to reconnect with Fresno City College students.

McLaughlin, who was elected at the end of last academic year, said he is determined to reach out to students and get them to be more involved with issues affecting their education.

“There seems to be a clear lack of connection between us and the students,” McLaughlin said. “And that’s not good.”  

He said the ASG speaks for FCC students and that one of the many goals of the association is making sure students are being heard.

“I just want to do something for someone,” McLaughlin said, adding that he joined the ASG because a friend encouraged him to join.

“I’ve always had an interest in law and politics and seeing how it’s actually put into practice and put into the field,” McLaughlin said. “I came here for the learning experience, but when I got into it, it just captivated me.”

As president of ASG, McLaughlin runs the organization, speaks at events for students, chairs meetings and makes sure everyone is being heard fairly.

“It has that pull; it sucks you in and it’s great,” he said of his job as ASG president. “It’s fantastic.”

“Very few students run for elections to be part of student government,” McLaughlin said “This problem affects all ASG programs across college campuses.”

McLaughlin believes this is a huge concern and needs to be fixed.

“I’m the fifth president to run unopposed,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a majority vote, so all I need is one vote to win, and that’s not good at all, in any way.”  

McLaughlin thinks the problem is that ASG members do not get paid, despite working long hours and dedicating so much of their time to the organization.

The proposal to pay ASG members is still in the pipeline and has not been voted on yet, McLaughlin said.

Before any decisions on pay are reached, the ASG must make sure there is funding and that the pay is adequate for the amount of work they do.

“We’re not pursuing it [pay] yet; we’re outlining it,” said McLaughlin. “But if we do do it, we want to do it the smart way.”