Transfer student Alessandra Zagaceta (junior) opened a petition Sept. 28 endorsed by the Transfer Student Union (TSU) urging Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) to add a Transfer Student Senator position. According to Zagaceta, her petition amassed more than 70 signatures within a week.
Zagaceta said she met with ASOC President Trisha Bhima (senior) and TSU President Steven Garcia (senior) Oct. 13 to discuss the petition. Bhima said while there is not a permanent position available at this time, she discussed a long-term solution for transfer student representation in ASOC with Zagaceta and Garcia.
“This should be something that transfer students are able to shape,” Bhima said. “We talked about getting more transfers in the room and getting a better idea of what the larger transfer community at Oxy thinks is the right way to go.”
According to Bhima, ASOC cannot add a position unless the student body votes to change the constitution, which could only happen in April and take effect the following year. Bhima said she is working on a temporary solution while ASOC discusses the best way to address the petition long-term.
“We’re hoping to put together a task force on Senate — consisting of a sophomore senator, a junior senator and a senior senator — to meet with transfers and the Transfer Student Union on a regular basis and advocate for the needs of transfer students,” Bhima said.
Zagaceta said she transferred to Occidental Fall 2026 after studying at LA Harbor College for three years. Zagaceta said senators aren’t always aware of the struggles unique to the transfer student experience.
“I want there to be a senator position [so] transfers [are] able to bring their concerns to a point person,” Zagaceta said. “A student who is going through, or has been through, [the experience of transferring to Occidental].”
According to Zagaceta, there are not many transfer-specific opportunities at Occidental, and her petition is partially about bringing a leadership opportunity to the table for transfer students.
“[The petition] is about visibility and inclusivity, and ensuring that there’s an equal amount of opportunities for transfers to grow and lead and thrive as part of a community here, without completely trying to erase their past experiences,” Zagaceta said.
Zagaceta said she felt it is difficult to become a part of the executive board of many Occidental clubs as a transfer. According to Zagaceta, transfer students applying to executive boards often have not had as much time as other students to network and connect with the members who make hiring decisions.
“It’s quite saddening that, because people don’t know my story and they don’t know me, it’s very easy to dismiss me, and other people like me that might have very valuable life experience,” Zagaceta said.
Marina Jiang (sophomore), Director of Finance for ASOC Senate, said the idea of adding a Transfer Student Senator to ASOC would be difficult to implement because the funds for paying the senator would have to come from ASOC’s current budget. According to Jiang, Senate is actively trying to reduce its size.
“Last semester, we had a Director of Policy, which got cut because of the budget and the wage increase,” Jiang said.
Bhima said ASOC has consolidated its positions to reduce the amount of money going towards payroll and increase the amount of money going back to the students in the form of club funding.
“Because we pay everyone who is an ASOC student representative, it uses a big part of our budget every single year,” Bhima said. “Every year the minimum wage increases, which means that payroll takes up a larger amount of our budget without our budget increasing.”
Jiang said she thought it would be more feasible for transfer students to find representation on the Diversity and Equity Board (DEB) than Senate.
“Senate represents the whole student body, which includes the transfer students in their separated year,” Jiang said.
Zagaceta said she felt a transfer student representative belongs in the Senate, because senators are elected by the student body, while DEB is chosen by current members.
“[Senators take] the effort to get petition signatures and get voted in by other transfers,” Zagaceta said. “We are going to be able to recognize that this transfer is in fact capable of organizing, leading, representing and advocating.”
According to Jiang, two senators serve from each grade, and transfer students can run in the class in which they stand.
“There are challenges about how we can make sure all student bodies can be represented, because transfer students are only a part of the Oxy community,” Jiang said. “If we add a transfer student position, that means we should also have a position for, for example, international students.”
Zagaceta said one transfer student who signed her petition was frustrated he was not able to run as a first-year senator, because elections for first-year senator happen in the fall, while elections for sophomore, junior and senior senators happen in the spring.
“If you’re a transfer, you’re not eligible to be a first-year senator, which I think is the biggest barrier to entry,” Bhima said.
Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs, philosophy and cognitive science professor and advisor for TSU Carolyn Brighouse said she believes it is valuable to represent the perspectives of transfers, which tend to be different from other students.
“The experience of a transfer student is really very different than the experience of a student who starts here as a first-time, first-year student, and it’s harder to get into opportunities as a transfer student,” Brighouse said. “You don’t have that whole first year to find out what Oxy is like, what it has to offer and what you might want to do.”
Brighouse said Oct. 19-23 was National Transfer Student Week, which was marked by a ribbon cutting for the opening of a transfer student lounge in Swan Hall Oct. 20.
“Most of our institutions, in America, of higher education were not designed for transfer students,” Brighouse said. “However we try to improve the experience of transfer students, it’s always going to feel tough transferring to an institution.”
Zagaceta said her petition is ultimately about taking a step back and understanding transfers have unique needs.
“I’m sure that I’m not alone in terms of imposter syndrome or just [not] feeling seen here,” Zagaceta said. “I want to make sure that no one else has to go through that feeling.”
Contact Eli Heringman at heringman@oxy.edu
