Two new student trustees
were officially seated this week on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College
District Governing Board.
The student trustees, who are
elected by their peers as non-voting board members, are Grossmont College
student Peg Marcus, 62, and Cuyamaca College student Elsa Michelle Hernandez,
19.
Marcus and Hernandez took their
oaths of office for their one-year terms at the start of Tuesday night’s board
meeting at Grossmont College. They join the board at a time of rebuilding as the
colleges begin to add classes, staffing and other resources lost to the budget
ax in recent years, along with a renewed focus on student success to help
students reach their educational goals.
“As students are faced with the
reality that they will have to become more focused and use the time they spend
obtaining their education more efficiently, the role of student trustees to be
informed and to communicate with fellow students about these changes has never
been more crucial,” Governing Board President Bill Garrett said. “The Governing
Board members also value the input that the student representatives provide as
we consider policy changes and new initiatives to guide the direction of the
college district.”
Marcus said during Tuesday’s
board meeting that she and Hernandez have talked about working jointly on
community projects as student trustees to promote a message of unity between the
two colleges and to reflect the district’s commitment to serving East
County.