Change

Politics. The connotation of the word draws different answers from different people. In the words of Peter Cornett, politics are “the process by which a group makes decisions about governance and the allocation of limited resources.”

If you’re going through your mental rolodex of noteworthy politicians who may have stated that, just stop. Cornett is not an 18th Century politician, nor is he one of the 56 founding fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence.

No. Cornett cannot yet even step onto the same playing field as those figures. So who is Peter Cornett? And why should you care what he thinks about politics?

At first glance, he looks like any other 21-yearold college student. But unlike every other average joe at Fullerton College, Cornett has power like no other. The power that he is able to boast is that of an entire student body. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to your Associated Students president. For those who don’t know what A.S. is or its significance, it is the governing body of the students at Fullerton College. Associated Students is responsible for the planning and execution of on-campus activities.

As the President of A.S., Cornett’s role is to be the liaison between the Fullerton College campus and the North Orange County Community College District. After serving as a senator and as the chairman of the judiciary committee last year, Cornett decided he would take a shot and run for the presidency. “As a senator there wasn’t much opportunity for a forum,” Cornett said. “Everyone shot down ideas because they felt they needed to uphold the status quo.”

Feeling the need to shake up the dynamics of A.S., Cornett campaigned and earned the nod over fellow senator Eric Kim. His first order of business: change. “Essentially, reform is very difficult. You need a group who believes change is necessary. What there was, was a group advocating a lack of change,” Cornett stated. And because reform is one of Cornett’s founding blocks, he needed a team that would follow his lead and take the senate by storm.

Before the fall elections of 17 new senators, Cornett gave up his seat as the chairman of the election committee and combined his efforts with volunteer senate runners who had a similar vision. With 16 new senators in place it was time to get to the business of change. The new mix of senators and the reform movement at FC has begun to take shape and, like any reform movement, it has its hiccups.

“To a large extent, A.S. was approached as a social club,” Cornett admitted, obviously not his ideal circumstance. “People vote based on what their friends want. It is self-focused rather than focused on the voters. There were pet-projects within senate.” An example of these “pet projects” Cornett discussed was an on-campus hypnotist and dance. “When it comes to an issue like a new recycling bill, we don’t have the money or authority to do it. People held onto these pet projects with death grips even though others were against it.”

The new recycling initiative Cornett is trying to pass is facing heavy opposition because of budget cuts and because of events that have taken away from the A.S. fund. $3,100 was allocated last semester from senate to go toward the dance and hypnotist. “It’s going to change. The way A.S. has spent money in the past, people are starting to think about that now,”Cornett said. One of Cornett’s primary goals for the semester is to remove the smoking ban on campus and alter the policy that would call for designated smoking areas.

But the topic has caused a good deal of tension and controversy within the body. “There is a high-level of hostility,” said Kim, a current member of A.S. Rajan Vaidya, last year’s president and current student trustee for NOCCCD, is one of those opposed to the proposition. “This is his goal. We are supposed to represent the students at FC as best as we can, but this is not endorsed by A.S. His own ego is greater than that of the students.” Vaidya was critical of Cornett’s performance thus far in office. “I would give him a 2… out of 10.He is definitely a smart guy for his own needs, for himself.”

The Exec-Pro Tem of the senate Brandon Collins disagrees with the negative assessment of Cornett. “I would say he is selfless in a way,” Collins said, “He [Cornett] has given up popularity to do what is right for the students.” When the votes were cast, both the recycling and smoking initiatives were received with a majority of support by the A.S. senate.

Despite the criticism, Cornett stands by his way of governing. “Not one piece of legislation that I have supported, or will support, maintains the status-quo. We must always be moving forward as a student government, continually making positive changes that focus our efforts on better serving our constituents.”