Years ago student athletes used to be a big part of ASCC Senate, but over the past couple of years student athletes have been inexistent. That all changed this fall as 11 student athletes got elected into senate.

One of the reasons why many athletes are now in senate is because of the budget scare that occurred at the end of spring semester. That budget scare had to do with ASCC Senate almost cutting the budget to athletics.

Dan Clauss, athletics director, said, “Given what happened last [semester] with senate wanting to cut budget for athletics, it actually raised awareness for the athletes.”

He goes on to say that some athletes went up to him and asked him how they could be a part of senate.

Joseph Fierro,ASCC senator, agrees with Clauss on the reason why there are 11 athletes now in senate.

“In truth of reality, yes,” Fierro said. “I do believe that is a part of it and I’m pretty sure that is the reason why, but you know they just have concerns and I’m pretty sure it’s not intentional to take over.”

“We want to work with these guys, we’re not here to try [to say] we’re better than someone else, I think compromising and sticking to the main objective that’s working […] for all the students here at Cerritos College,” Fierro said.

One of the new senators that is also an athlete Dave Evans, tennis player, says that now that there is a good amount of student athletes being part of senate, there will be a good representation of student athletes that there wasn’t before.

“I believe that the athletic community is being more involved because we are pushed more from our coaches and everyone and there has been a lack of student athletes in senate prior to this,” Evans said.

Evans also mentioned that the reasons he ran for senate were because he wanted to represent tennis, it would look good on his transcripts and also because of the budget scare.

“That [budget scare] definitely had a factor and I believe that’s why a lot of student [athletes] ran because we didn’t know such a budget crisis like that could be initiated so quickly,” Evans said.

According to Tennis coach Alvin Kim, he was told to encourage his athletes to run for senate.

“What people were telling me was [that] the coaches were encouraged to encourage our athletes to get involved,” Kim said.

He also said that coaches encouraged players within the team to vote for the different athletes that ran for senate.

Kim did express that the budget scare may have played a role for athletes that ran for senate.

“It might have, but you know it takes something scary like that to kind of wake you up,” Kim said. “But yeah, I think [that it] was probably the spark that got everything started.”

Kim did feel that now there is a good balance at ASCC Senate.

Ben Gonzales, wrestler, said that his reason for running was not due to the budget scare of spring semester.

“I’m into politics a little bit, so I felt like it was a good start [because] I never did it in high school so I wanted to start it now and get going,” Gonzales said.

Clauss mentioned that the goal for the athletes running was strictly educational.

“This is what I told anyone that wanted to run… it’s a great learning opportunity for you,” Clauss said.

He also said that the budget scare wasn’t the only reason why student athletes wanted to run. He said that some were interested in running regardless of the scare.

“They seemed generally interested in actually being a part of [ASCC],” Clauss said.

Out of the 43 students that ran for ASCC Senate, 11 of them were athletes and all 11 athletes got a seat in senate.

The first senate meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 16 in room BK 111 at 2 p.m.