ASUCC president keeps trucking after long haul to office

By Steven B. Salapich · Guest Writer
Published February 22, 2011

Many of you have walked right by our student body president not knowing who he is, or what he has done for our school, or even what he plans to do.

Mark Silva-Horta, our ASUCC President, is deeply involved in our school to a point that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Silva-Horta, a non-traditional student who graduated high school years ago, was an out of work truck driver until recently. When Silva-Horta and his family moved in 2007 to Umpqua from Turlock, California–after his prior occupation of truck driving bottomed out due to the economy’s decline–he set out to pursue an impromptu college back up plan.

The busy psychology major is now a husband, father of two kids, president of ASUCC for the last three terms, a debate club member for more than a year, vice president of leadership in Phi Theta Kappa and a brown belt in Taekwondo.

“Time management is crucial and something I am about 98 percent successful at right now,” said the president, who juggles all these personal and academic responsibilities.

Fellow ASUCC representative Ben Horvath, a first term senator and second term UCC student, states that working with Silva-Horta has been a pleasure, and that he is very easy going, very organized and leads by example.

“Mark plays a huge part in the implementation and decisions on most major school issues and behind the scenes action, and rarely gets credit,” says Horvath.

According to the senator, the president is very adamant about Project Cans, improving the student lounge and a couple of future ideas for improvement of campus and student life.

“Mark is great at time management and always there when you need him. He is always prepared for meetings, and is very informative to me and all our fellow students,” says Horvath.

Silva-Horta is implementing some actions in office. He heads a current campaign to get health care for UCC students through possible grants or other funding.

“No promises yet, but I am trying to get healthcare for all eligible UCC students,” says Silva-Horta.

The student healthcare idea is still in its early stages. One item checked off the president’s agenda is the new book reserve program in the library. The student council has allocated some funds from fees paid by students to supply the library with dozens of extra text books for students who can’t afford their own.

Silva-Horta and the rest of the student government are also still accepting food through their ongoing “Project Cans” program, which was implemented last year to help students in need of food.

Silva-Horta states that some of the tasks and challenges of student government are maintaining student involvement, working with new people and lack of time. Silva-Horta listed working with new people as one of the benefits of student government, along with serving the students by transforming their ideas or suggestions into actions. The ASUCC offices are located by the student lounge in the campus center building for anyone who has food donations or needs to contact any ASUCC members.

Silva-Horta and the ASUCC are hosting the fourth annual Charity Dodgeball Tournament on March 5 and are asking people to sign up. The registration fee is $60 per team, and all teams must sign up by Feb. 28. The six to ten people teams can be made up of students or non-students, age 14 and up. The proceeds will go to the March of Dimes charity.