VALLEY COLLEGE : Hauck Elected Student Trustee

Erica L. Hauck, student body president at Valley College in Van Nuys, has been elected new student trustee for the Los Angeles Community College District.

She received 11 of 13 votes cast by district and student leaders earlier this month. There were four other candidates.

Hauck, 21, will be sworn in for a one-year term by Chancellor Donald C. Phelps on June 3.

She said she has been considering running for the post since the start of her term as Valley’s student president nearly a year ago.

“I’ve seen the student leaders in the district come together and fall apart over the last few years, and it seems like right now our district is kind of split and I hope to see students come together,” she said.

“With a district so large, the students could be powerful . . . the most powerful component of the district.”

Hauck said her primary purpose will be to present the view of students on the district’s nine campuses to the board. She added that she feels that students often sit back and take what they’re getting without questioning.

“I learned the concept of the student’s voice counting when I was at Valley Alternative Magnet School in high school,” Hauck said. “I learned about students having rights, too.

“The community colleges are new to the concept of listening to the students. I don’t always disagree with what the governing boards say or do, but I want to be out there to listen to each and every student that needs me and pass along each and every concern of the colleges to the governing boards who need to hear it.”

She said that one of her first priorities is to ensure that health centers--which are planned at each college using funds from a recently approved student fee of $7.50 per semester--meet the individual needs of the campuses.

Other goals include relieving parking problems and aiding the completion of Mission College.