The last A.S. meeting of the year was a flurry of activity, as the board moved to pass a total of 11 major action items. Among the items passed were two projects that board members were personally interested in, namely an end year ball organized by the A.S. in lieu of a private celebration for themselves, as well as an effort to make SMC's designated smoking sections more eco-friendly.

At the penultimate meeting of the 2017-18 Santa Monica College Associated Students board, professors Fariba Bolandhemat and Angie Misaghi were invited to speak to board members and students about how they can save money on textbooks by taking classes that use open educational resources (OER) materials.

When Donald Trump was elected the 45th President in a shocking upset, experts and laymen the world over attempted to figure out what a Trump presidency would look like. Though liberals and the American political elite immediately launched into a histrionic fit of self-pity, with left-leaning newspapers printing stories with headlines…

As a 21-year-old freelance journalist, I mostly cover local political developments. Whether I am attending the latest meeting of the Santa Monica City Council, or covering our very own Associated Student board, I am frequently struck both by how important the issues that appear in front of these bodies are, and by the alarming lack of public participation and oversight present at their deliberations.

Santa Monica College Police Chief Johnnie Adams asked the Associated Students board of directors for $20,000 of the $28,000 price for another year's subscription to the security app, LiveSafe, at their Monday meeting on May 7. The school's administration has already provided the remaining $8,000.

Tensions were high as board members and students alike expressed their opinions on the controversial decision made at last Monday's board meeting on April 30. Students used the public comments section to express unhappiness at the decision.

The Cayton Center Lounge was packed with students on Monday, April 23, when the Associated Students Board of Directors met for their weekly board meeting. Most items on the agenda passed; however, a request for catering for this year’s Graduation Reception was denied in a vote of 6 to 5.

Santa Monica College clubs and organizations held the Students Feeding Students Farmers Market this Monday, April 16 at the school's Organic Learning Garden. The market has been a part of SMC's annual Earth week for several years, but has grown to include sustainability initiatives in addition to being a resource for food-insecure students.

Members of the Santa Monica College Associated Students board were joking amongst themselves and the atmosphere was jovial as the board met in their Cayton Center conference room after classes resumed after spring break.

After two weeks of furious campaigning, fraught with controversy and scandal, the 2018 Associated Students election has come to an end. The slate "Step Forward" performed excellently, winning seven of the eight seats in which they ran a candidate, most of which were contested.

A fire broke out Friday afternoon at West L.A. burger joint Big Tomy's. 

Last week, the A.S. election committee made an informal deviation to the rules, allowing candidates to distribute campaign materials without an official stamp. But because the committee did not inform all the candidates of this change, some of those running for election face a disadvantage.

National conference taught A.S. how to advocate for community college issues.

Driving down the McClure tunnel and into Los Angeles, the first thing you see is the iconic late-modern architecture of the Sears building. And now, due to a decision by the California Coastal Commission, this is now vacant property is getting a new lease on life.

Sandoval will take the position that was left vacant after the previous vice president, Edgar Gonzalez, resigned in February.