Jordan Mendoza was elected chairperson of the Congress of Club Presidents on Monday, September 11th, at the organization’s first meeting for the Fall 2017 semester.
Mendoza, a junior psychology and neuroscience major, came to Queens College with a goal of making the institution his second home. “I never saw a point in going to school if I didn’t want to be there, and the easiest way to accomplish that is to settle in and find a niche,” Mendoza said.
With a history that dates back to his first semester on campus, Mendoza’s club involvement began with GLASA, formerly known as PRISM. Currently, Mendoza is president of the Gender, Love and Sexuality Alliance, GLASA, and vice president of the Neuroscience Club.
As an avid leader on campus, Mendoza has co-hosted, co-sponsored, endorsed, and influenced the creation of many events on campus. Mendoza also encourages other students to take on leadership roles, such as allowing GLASA members to host their own events, and tries to spread tolerance on campus with “Transgender Etiquette” and “Gay Dating 101” classes.
As Chairperson of The Congress of Club Presidents, Mendoza will be responsible for getting all club and organization leaders together by hosting monthly “CCP Meetings” for every club to voice their concerns about themselves, events, and administration in a safe, responsive environment. At the CCP meeting, all club leaders are allowed to nominate a fellow member for the position. Each club is then allowed one vote for the chair.
David Kaon, a senior majoring in accounting and president of the Science Fiction and Animation Club, nominated Mendoza for the position.
“I nominated him because I believe he is the best man for the job. He works hard to create a friendly club space. I know a lot of other clubs talk to him about issues and together they work towards a solution…[H]e will work hard to make club spaces friendly and welcoming to all students. I honestly couldn’t think of a better person for the job,” Kaon stated.
Mendoza shared his own thoughts about his newly-elected role, “I think the CCP Chairperson position is one that requires massive patience, friendliness and the ability to genuinely care about something you may not know much about. One who loves learning, helping and guiding can flourish here; all of these are traits I believe I possess.”
Mendoza even admitted that he wanted to become CCP chair before he was aware of the position. “I’ve been trying to be a CCP Chairperson since before I knew it was a role. I’ve been trying to help club leaders enhance their clubs and I’ve been answering their questions for a while now. If I have to campaign for the position, it means I haven’t done a decent job so far and thus don’t deserve it,” Mendoza recalled.
Some of Mendoza’s goals as CCP chairperson include more collaborations on campus for better events. “I want to see less of the same events from individual clubs and more of the same event from multiple clubs. The power of a person to change the world is good, the power of a group of people to change the world is great, the power of everyone to change the world is unstoppable,” he said.
Shivaal Sinanan, a junior majoring in sociology and chair of the campus affairs committee for Student Association, is on board with Kaon’s decision to nominate Mendoza as CCP chairperson. “I think Jordan is very charismatic and positive. I believe he understands the importance of clubs and organizations on our campus for the student body, so he will do the committee proud and have a successful year,” Sinanan stated.
Sinanan gave a few words of advice for Mendoza, suggesting that he create more communication and support between clubs on campus. “Jordan should advocate for cohesion and fellowship amongst all the clubs on campus. From prior experience, I’ve noticed that clubs usually stay in their own cliques and don’t get to know some of the other amazing people in other clubs. Creating that bond would only have positive outcomes for students and clubs.”
While Mendoza plans to advocate on behalf of all organizations, he also wants to stress that club leaders’ opinions are crucial and they should feel open to sharing them. “Every club leader is a part of a wonderful frenzy of ideals, but one thing that is crucial is to understand these ideas are malleable; they can be pushed and bent, so don’t ever feel like you “have” to do something or “have” to suppress your ideals so another club can share theirs. Every club is valid, and having boundaries only hurts your cause. Share, educate, and listen to each other until the “person” becomes the “everyone” and your power to change the world is unstoppable,” Mendoza said.
