A new stipend system, funded by student fees, will be used for the first time to pay El Camino College’s Associated Students Organization members for their work.
The overall budget for the stipends is $22,000 for both fall and spring semesters. Payments will vary, depending on positions, ranging from $150 to $350.
“When we planned for the budget, we planned as if we were having the maximum number of students based on our elected positions,” Tyler Strohl, the student activities advisor said.
The first payments to ASO members will come during the winter break.
Some ASO members receive payments from outside sources. The ASO student trustee receives money from the Board of Trustees and the ASO Director of External Affairs is paid $100 a month by the statewide student senate.
Danielle Kabboul, ASO’s president, said the stipend system is a fixed amount that is determined by their performance review.
“The way those values are determined is based on the Student Development Office,” Kabboul said. “They evaluate how we performed, how we worked as a team, and how we were successful, but that also goes into the amount of the stipend that we will receive per semester.”
Under California Education Code Section 76060, a $2 student representation fee (SRF) will be collected to pay for the stipends. California community colleges’ student senate will get $1 of the $2 state-mandated fee, while local student body associations will receive the remaining $1.
The SRF is used to promote student advocacy.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office states that stipends for attending conferences, holding events on legislative matters and taking part in governance meetings are among the permitted purposes.
Ricky Gonzalez, the director of student development said the stipends are compensation for the amount of work ASO members do representing students.
“Imagine yourself representing 20,000 to 30,000 student voices in a college council meeting or at the Board of Trustees level, and having to attend other meetings to gain context and to talk to students to be able to do all that stuff,” Gonzalez said.
Several positions get varying levels of compensation. $350 is given each semester to the ASO president, vice president, student trustees, and directors. Division council members and commissioners will earn $150, while the senators will receive $250.
Other colleges, including Santa Monica College, have previously put in place a stipend system for their student leaders.
ECC is among the most recent to do so. Funds have been set aside to support the stipends, which will be implemented for the spring semester in 2025.
Gonzalez said they would reassess the new stipend system if ASO members begin to fall behind in meeting their goals.
“If we see something that there isn’t necessarily a direct tie to the advocacy piece, then there would be something we would re-evaluate,” Gonzalez added.
