Candidate elected to ASLC with 24-vote lead in two round election

By Nicole Lovett

Dagnachew “Dag” Sibhat’s face lit up when asked about how he likes Laney.

“Laney?” he said. “I love Laney. It’s the most diverse school I’ve been to.”

Born in Ethiopia, Sibhat came to the United States in 2000 and grew up in upstate New York, among new fears toward immigrants after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

His predominantly white high school had only a small percentage of black students.

Eventually, after coming to the Bay Area three years ago and enrolling in Laney, Sibhat found his way to the student president seat of the ASLC.

Sibhat won the presidential election with 54 votes against runner-up Richard Garcia’s 30 votes.

Sibhat has been a student at Laney for two years, and for his last, he said he wanted to make a difference by serving as president.

Upon being asked why running for the presidential seat was so important, Sibhat said, “I wanted to create a system for the next upcoming administration…I want to continue the legacy of the last administration,” Sibhat said, noting his admiration for the ASLC’s food bank, food pantry, and grilled foods for students.

“I want to address student hunger on a broader base,” he said. “I want to expand it,” noting that while the ASLC’s grilled meals in the past have been great, he wants to create something more sustainable for students.

The ASLC presidency isn’t the position of leadership that Sibhat has always pursued on campus, though.

He started an Ethiopian-Eritrean organization his first semester, which he said became one of the most active clubs on campus.

“We had tutoring, translation services, we had an office where students could come in and print,” Sibhat said. “It was a big thing.”

Although the club was discontinued after Sibhat took a break from Laney, he emphasizes the importance of the student voice, noting that the new administration is behind them.

“We want to push students to start clubs, start organizations, and we’ll be here to support all of that,” Sibhat said. “ I want students to know that we’re here for them. Their voice is what we need to listen to.”

Sibhat plans to have himself be known on campus, so as to draw in students to be more active with the campus government and other activities.

He’s also open for students to come up to him directly with their comments and concerns.

“Right now, I feel like not a lot of people know what student government is,” Sibhat said. “My main thing is to have a presence on campus, so that students know who we are, and they can come to us, voice their concerns, be more open and take on more participation.”

In addition to being concerned about feeding Laney’s campus and wanting to establish a student voice, Sibhat is also worried about the state of campus facilities.

“Many things are broken…the doors, the bathrooms, the water fountains, the elevators,” Sibhat said. “I feel like, at the least, we can address the student center, which is the home of the ASLC.”

Sibhat recognizes that the past administration had trouble deciding how to handle the state of Laney’s facilities, and he expressed confidence that his team this upcoming school year could push for more impactful change.

“The new administration coming in, you know, we’re fresh blood, full of energy,” he said.

With Sibhat’s passion for the Laney campus, its students, and the potential powers of the ASLC, this school year looks promising.

Nicole Lovett is a writer for the Laney Tower