How student leaders are selected
Student Councilors are chosen through a selection process that includes an application and group interview overseen by students. Other than preliminary eligibility screenings, students are the sole decision-makers in the selection process. Councilors serve for one academic year and must meet eligibility criteria such as GPA, enrollment, and conduct requirements. Applications open at the beginning of Fall and Spring terms.
Why not an election?
The Committee on Student Leadership Analysis (CoSLA) conducted an extensive, district-wide study in 2011 to determine whether ASPCC student leaders should be elected or selected through a hiring process. The study included 923 survey responses from students, faculty, and staff, as well as years of demographic data and campus feedback. Their conclusions strongly recommended continuing with a selection-based model, citing several key reasons.
1. The selection process produces more qualified, prepared leaders
Survey analysis showed that the selection model ensures that student leaders are vetted through applications, interviews, recommendations, and eligibility checks. This process produces leaders who are better equipped to manage budgets, advocate for students, work on committees, and represent PCC effectively.
CoSLA noted a significant concern that elections could result in under-qualified individuals winning purely based on popularity, rather than skill, readiness, or commitment.
2. Students largely supported keeping the current system
When asked directly about whether leadership should be elected or selected, only 8.5% of survey respondents advocated for moving to a full election system. The plurality (44.2%) explicitly said the selection system was “fine” as is, and another 29.3% had no preference.
3. The Selection Model Significantly Improves Diversity and Representation
Over three years of data showed that ASPCC leadership was far more diverse than the general student body, 61% of ASPCC leaders were students of color or international students, compared to 25% of PCC students overall.
This level of representation is uncommon in elected student governments, where popularity and visibility often advantage majority groups. The hiring model allowed PCC to recruit and retain leaders who reflect the full diversity of the student population, including marginalized communities.
4. Students’ concerns focused on communication
Survey respondents overwhelmingly highlighted communication gaps between ASPCC and the wider student body, not flaws in leadership selection. Many suggestions from students, such as better outreach, more transparency, and more visible student engagement, were improvements to communication systems, not the leadership structure. CoSLA concluded that improving communication would address the concerns students were raising more directly than altering the selection process.
5. Hiring reflects real-world professional experience
CoSLA emphasized that the hiring process mirrors real employment conditions (applications, resumes, interviews, and performance expectations) which prepares student leaders for workforce realities while maintaining high standards for leadership roles.
6. Elections would not solve the identified problems
The committee found that many student concerns (lack of awareness, limited outreach, underrepresentation of older or nighttime students) stemmed from communication barriers, not the leadership model.