Students Rights: What benefits students, benefits our community

By Andy Rytikoff

From a business perspective, students are our college's customers, and therefore we must put their needs, interests and desires as number one. If we do this, successful students will help our community thrive as our businesses are infused with new, skilled workers to help our local economy recover.

Unfortunately, our college District doesn't have the best track record of focusing on their customers--the students--first.

Take, for example, the recent lawsuit a group of students won against the District for the Board of Trustees not responding properly to ensure their 14th Amendment voting rights were protected in their student elections.

Los Rios violated students' 14th Amendment rights, Judge rules: (Aug. 13, 2010) http://www.kcra.com/news/24627659/detail.html

Rather than spend thousands of taxpayer dollars fighting against student rights, the college board needs to focus on helping our local economy recover by serving the students. Los Rios is in need of new leadership that understands and responds properly to student needs, which will result in a whole community that benefits from this basic business focus: the customers come first.