News Article

Two Edison State College Students Running for FCSSGA State Office

Mar 28, 2014

MARCH 28, 2014 – NAPLES, FLA. – Students at Edison State College continue to show their commitment to bettering the Florida College System and making sure their fellow students’ voices are heard. Edison will once again have two of its own running for state offices in the Florida College System Student Government Association (FCSSGA). Edison junior Joe Garita is running for FCSSGA President and junior Guadalupe Lopez is running for FCSSGA Vice President.

On April 3, student delegates representing all of the Florida College System’s 28 state and community colleges will join together in Tallahassee to vote on the candidate they feel will represent their needs the best. If elected, Garita and Lopez will once again make Edison State College history as the second pair of Edison students to hold president and vice president positions for the second consecutive year.

FCSSGA represents the nearly one million students enrolled in the Florida College System's 28 colleges. It promotes legislative advocacy and training, leadership development, service learning, promotion of campus activities, and strong citizenship. The organization was created to unify the member colleges in order to best represent the concerns of the Florida Community College system students, and serve as a vehicle to communicate these concerns to the Florida legislative body.

Garita currently serves as the FCSSGA vice president. If elected as president, Garita will focus on issues that directly affect students in the Florida College System.

“The strength of FCSSGA really grew this year,” Garita said. “The veterans and immigrant in-state tuition bills we worked to gain support for made it through legislation this year, and we pioneered a new student conference that was held in Washington D.C.”

“Now we have some new issues that are of concern to students in the Florida College System,” he said. “One is a tax on student meal plans, which leads to many students losing as much as $300 a year in sales taxes when they make purchases using their meal plans. Another issue is the possible government regulation on how many bachelors’ degrees colleges can offer. This can severely limit options to students on which schools they can attend and may affect college enrollment.”

As well as serving as vice president of FCSSGA, Garita is an alumnus of Edison’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK). He serves as a student representative on Edison’s Athletic Taskforce Committee and is highly active in student activities as a member of the student government association and president of the Creative Expressive Club. He has also served as a tutor at the Academic Success Center and a student assistant for full-time faculty at the Collier Campus. Garita plans to earn his Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Management and Supervision from Edison State College.

“My time as FCSSGA vice president has given me the experience to keep moving the organization forward,” Garita said. “It’s helped me become a more effective at making difficult decisions and overcoming challenges.”

Guadalupe Lopez is running for Vice President of FCSSGA.

Lopez will also focus on eliminating the meal plan sales tax and reducing government regulation on bachelor’s degrees. She would also like to see the in-state tuition for immigrants be extended to the federal level. Currently, Lopez serves as the Edison State College Collier campus SGA president.

“I really enjoy listening to the voices of the students and standing up for the issues that affect us,” Lopez said. “Serving as the Collier Campus SGA president has taught me about leadership and has given me the opportunity to meet students from all over the state. I look forward to serving FCSSGA in the same way and being a voice for many more.”

Lopez is also a member of Edison’s Christian Fellowship Club, the NABT Biology Club, and she serves as the Golden Gate Area Civic Association’s Communication Committee Chair. She plans to earn her Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Management and Supervision from Edison State College.

“If we are elected, we will not only continue strengthening the FCSSGA organization, but we will also continue to prove the strength and determination of Edison State College students,” Garita said.

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Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most accessible and ranked nationally as one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Serving more than 22,000 students per year regionally, nationally, and internationally, students are also active in a wide variety of clubs and programs that cater to their interests. Nationally, Edison State is ranked 45th among associate degree producers and 26th for its prestigious associate producing Nursing program.

Last Updated: May 26, 2020