The year has just begun, and so has the term for a new board member.
Erubey Lechuga, the newly elected director of operations for the Student Association of George Brown College (SAGBC), comes with an eagerness to bring positive changes to the community.
Originally from Mexico, his journey to George Brown College (GBC) was marked by his academic leadership.
In his role, Lechuga aims to combine his technical expertise in accounting with his passion for representing students.
One of his biggest plans is to reevaluate resource allocation within the organization and its services.
“It’s like if you go to the doctor’s office, you first to make sure you’re running smoothly, to check you up. So, we need to make a thorough check of the general operations of the SA, see where the money is going, see which parts are consuming the most resources, and to see if they really need those resources or if they could maybe be adjusted, and if they are adjusted, where do people want their resources to go,” Lechuga said.
Since the budget has already been approved for the current year, Lechuga will not be able to make any changes to the amount of funding SAGBC services will have.
Lechuga’s immediate plans involve reviewing SA statements to identify areas of improvement in budget allocation. He intends to prioritize student concerns, particularly focusing on better campus installations, improved cafeteria hours, and a reevaluation of fees and services, such as providing provisions for transit passes.
It should be noted that the board was already working on the creation of a transit subsidy plan prior to the election of Lechuga to the position.
When he sat down to participate in a Town Hall interview on Nov. 27, 2023, Lechuga shared that he spoke to around 200 GBC students to understand their needs.
He shared that some concerns that stood out were expensive textbooks and having to pay extra for certain other learning platforms.
“That does not have to do with the Student Association but the Student Association, the whole board has the power to push the college to submit requests to the college as a collective,” he said.
As the year rolls on, Lechuga envisions collaborating with the rest of the board members to achieve common goals.
“I’m trying to contact them (the board) to see if there’s some middle ground in which ways, we can accomplish both goals. So, I know they might have some certain activities they’re very interested in doing and I think we should, each director should put their top three priorities and try to pursue those above all other priorities.”
As he steps into the position, his message to students is one of unity and shared responsibility. He stresses that success depends on collective effort and encourages students to actively engage with him and the SA.
