Moorpark’s Associated Students is an organization comprised of students attending Moorpark who take an active role in the political side of student life on and off campus. This spring a handful of students will be traveling to Washington D.C. to lobby for student rights.

Students will lobby against a 10% budget cut being proposed by the governor. The cut will prevent 52,000 people from attending UC, Cal State, and community colleges up and down California.

The goal of the trip is to “talk to them [our representatives in Washington] about issues that we face or that we see that affect us. Not everyone gets the chance to sit down with the representative face to face, and talk to them about certain issues and come up with ways to actually change it or improve it,” Donna Valle, MCAS Public Relations Director, said.

Valle assures students the lessons learned from participation in such a trip stretch far beyond decision-making.

“Other than anything, I think its very a hands on educational experience, where you get to see how the whole political ordeal works,” Valle said.

The group, overseen by Sharon Miller, is responsible for annual events held on campus as well as events between semesters. Structured like a political system, members serve one-year terms before campaigning to be re-elected. The job is voluntary, and students are required to put in several hours per week in order to remain a part of the association. Each member handles a different area of student business such as finance, external affairs and student services.

Funding is provided mainly by a one dollar fee students pay each semester when they register for classes. Additional funding is provided through the bookstore, and serves to pay for gas, food, or other expenses the Associated Students may have during activities. Some of the money is given back to students at Moorpark in the form of events put on by the group.

The current term for current AS officers ends on May 1. Elections for new officers take place April 16-17, but candidates must submit an application form before election day.

For more information on joining Moorpark Associated Students, visit the AS office in the Campus Center.