Founder and president of the Robotics and Automation Club Joseph Heady is the new San Jose City College student representative on the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District’s Board of Trustees.

“My first week as Student Trustee has been a humbling and eye-opening experience,” robotics engineering major Heady said. “Rest assured, I am up for the challenge, and I am looking forward to being a strong voice for our students and affecting positive change in our district.”

Heady was elected to the the position against Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanos de Aztlan (MEChA) club co-chair and business administration student Jorge Casas in a special election Oct. 19, which was necessitated after the former student trustee resigned for personal reasons.

The SJECCD Board of Trustees is the elected body that governs the district. The nine members, seven of which are elected by residents of their respective trustee areas and two student trustees, one for each college in the district (San Jose City and Evergreen).

Heady touted his experience as vice chair on the Facility and Safety Technology committee, director of communications for the Student Senate of California Community Colleges Region IV committee and his knowledge of parliamentary procedure.

Cases ran on a platform of increasing student involvement and advertised his experience as a board member of the Latinos Unidos por una Nueva América and intern at San Jose City Hall.

There was some brouhaha over both candidates’ campaigns.

Some of Casas’ posters were found posted in non-approved bulletin board areas, including on the doors to the theater and business buildings, on the walls of KJ’s cafe, and the front of a vending machine.

In an effort to gain support, Heady visited classrooms on the day of elections collecting ID numbers from students who supported him but for reasons unknown, were unable to submit their vote that day.

The final election results were 371 votes for Heady to 108 votes for Casas.

Read more about the ASG election changes proposed in response to the student trustee campaign.