Associated Students of Diablo Valley College is in a tough spot.

After the general election was nullified and no set date for re-election, there is no clear indication of who will be running the show in the fall.

College-wide councils lean on ASDVC approval of procedures that may affect students. Having discussions with ASDVC is the best way to inform faculty and administration about student issues.

Up to this point, that has been put on display with the great accomplishments that ASDVC has done, such as the multicultural center, which opened fall 2017 and the food pantry, which opened spring 2018.

The power is up for grabs going into a semester with a projected budget of $225,800 as ASDVC-funded projects may be put on hold. The timing of the nullification is unfortunate, especially considering the need to further improve student involvement in ASDVC.

Nullification according to the ASDVC election code is the “last resort” option for when a candidate violates any provision. If more students were aware of ASDVC and the laws they must abide by, the drastic decision to nullify the election might have never occurred.

Miscommunicated bylaws stripped candidates who ran fairly their deserved titles. DVC students should be upset that a council who represents their voices and determination fell short and left a lot of money and power blowing in the wind.

Nullification was a suggestion by DVC to the ASDVC executive board, not a demand. More thought needed to be put into the final decision.

If you attend an ASDVC meeting, you can see a major split between engaged members and those who refrain from any discussion of the issues being addressed.

This participation gap needs to be fixed so suggestions become active debates and not immediate decisions.

ASDVC is the direct link between students and the school, and more students need to be aware of that. Students cannot lose faith in their student government because of a skewed and oddly-handled election. In the shambles of a failed election, now is the time for DVC students to help build a stronger student government.

Getting more students in ASDVC who are ready to discuss issues at meetings is a priority. This is not to say all students involved within ASDVC are not hard working, but there is plenty of room for improvement in meeting participation.

How ASDVC will shape out after the re-election in the fall is unclear, but the need for more engaged members is higher than ever before to prevent things like this from happening ever again.