Cover Profile: FJCCSGA

     With massive changes to the state’s education hierarchy, does that mean student lobby organizations such as the Florida Student Association (FSA) and the Florida Junior/Community College Student Government Association (FJCCSGA) are now passe`? Can they still have influence under the new Board of Education? FJCCSGA Vice President Tony Chandler of Okaloosa-Walton Community College says "yes."
     "This (FJCCSGA) is such a viable association. They (The Florida Board of Education) still need an information gathering system," he says. "You have to have a medium to reach the entry-level, post-secondary institutions. If you do away with this communicative process, you do away with this element."
     Legislative issues are just one part of the group's purpose, says Kelly Warren, FJCCSGA state advisor. "To me, FJCCSGA's main purpose is not to serve as a lobbying group," she says. "I see the purpose more to provide a format to development leadership and citizenship within our students, teaching them how the legislative process works is just one avenue for that."
     FJCCSGA represents the state's community and junior colleges much like the FSA represents the state's public universities. Led by an eight-member executive board, FJCCSGA looks out for the interests of 800,000 students and serves as a liaison between the colleges and state lawmakers. President Romona Spencer of Palm Beach Community College and Director of Legislative Staff Jon Maguire of Hillsborough Community College, Brandon Campus, search for upcoming legislative issues that will effect community colleges. “The Community College Presidents Council prepares a legislative issues packet from which we select issues that impact the students on a state level," Spencer says. Maguire says a top concern is "part-timers" gaining more access to financial aid. "Approximately 70 percent of (community college) students are part-time, taking night classes. And it's hard for them to get financial aid," Maguire says. "There needs to be another 'pot' for those students."
     As vice president, Chandler oversees the district coordinators who send polls and questionnaires to SG leaders at Florida's 28 community colleges to find out their concerns. The FJCCSGA delegates or representatives from each school operate like the House of Representatives and vote on a course of action at their spring conference. The president and the director of legislative staff then present a statement to the Florida Community College Activities Association (FCAA), which funds FJCCSGA and sends lobbyists to push the resolutions during the legislative session.
     Because of low voter turnout in the 18 to 25 age group, college students usually don't have a lot of influence in government. However, the average age among community college students is 29. "We're talking about a larger group of non-traditional students in community college than in universities. It (FJCCSGA) has a stronger voice," says William Womack III, District III Coordinator. "They have businesses, families, they go to school at night. We're talking about the person that gets up and reads the paper and knows what's going on."
     As District II Coordinator and SGA President at Valencia Community College, East Campus, Joe Garcia's efforts to register 250 students to vote landed his college in the runner-up spot in Florida Leader's 2001 Best Student Government (Community Colleges). He says, "We focused on what did and didn’t work in the past, and came to the conclusion that we needed to be out there 24-7." Another example of FJCCSGA's influence includes "Rock the Vote" at Pensacola Junior College. As Maguire says, "TK101 [radio station] came out and played for us. We registered about a hundred students."
     The e-board builds communication among community colleges, jump starts SGAs on branch campuses, and provides community service throughout the state. Correspondence among the colleges allows them to feed off each other's ideas. "It's the job of the e-board to network and communicate with colleges," Garcia says. In structuring SG's, he says, "We come in and set the template. There's no SG that's run the same." This past year, community service was included among its priorities. Garcia says, "The clothing drive has been successful. We donated over 300 bags of clothes to the Salvation Army."
     The e-board also focuses on leadership development. "We hold workshops during the spring conference as well as during district retreats held during the fall." Warren says, “FJCCSGA is a training ground for leadership development, not only the executive board members but for all students who choose to get involved.”
The executive board is a very diverse group, and is made up of students who were very active in SG at their individual schools. Its eight members represent five community colleges across the state, and come from varying backgrounds, ethnicities, and ages. "We're all different, we're all leaders with varied leadership styles," Garcia says. "We all fit to be complimentary to each other to represent the ultimate goal."

FJCCSGA's web site is at www.flccaa.org. The Annual State FJCCSGA Conference (spring conference) will be held February 6-9, 2002 at the San-Destin Resort in Destin, Florida.