Student Government Association to hold elections
The Student Government Association (SGA) is gearing up for another round of 2017-2018 elections. SGA holds elections at various times throughout the year in an attempt to fill any vacancies for the year, which ensures a more successful body.
There are two types of positions in general assembly: Senators and Representatives. There are several openings for both Senators and Representatives, in class, hall and non-traditional student positions. Petitions are currently available outside of the SGA office on the 3rd floor of Bartlett and will be due February 5 at noon outside of the SGA office.
Even if you aren’t planning your next campaign, it is important to vote for someone who best represents you. Elections will be February 6 and you can expect to see us during lunch in Pearsons from 11a.m. to 1p.m. and Thaw from 6p.m. to 8p.m. However, if all of the positions are uncontested, candidates will automatically be sworn into SGA.
The following positions are currently vacant in SGA for the 2017-2018 school year: Class of 2018 Secretary and Treasurer, Class of 2018 Senator, Class of 2020 Senator, Class of 2021 Secretary and Treasurer, Copeland Hall Senator, Court Street Senator, Gibson Hall Senator and Pearsons Hall Senator.
To run for an SGA position, one must uphold a number of requirements. A potential candidate must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5. However, this does not apply to freshman and transfer students who are interested in applying. One must also be enrolled as a full-time student taking at least 12 credit hours per semester. Also, one must maintain a clean judicial standing and be a part of the demographic related to the desired position.
“SGA oversees much more than people might think, and in order for us to work efficiently and effectively, we need all our positions filled with quality people,” said Ali Lawson, a fellow freshman senator. “As a senator, I’ve been able to help pass legislation that makes our campus a better and more productive environment. All of these positions are only as effective as we make them, and it’s important to me that I’m constantly trying to bounce new ideas for bills off of people I work with in SGA. Regardless, people need to vote in every SGA election to ensure that their voice is accurately represented.”
Many students want to run for a position but aren’t sure what each position entails. There are considerable differences between Representative positions and Senator positions. These include the class floats you see in the homecoming parade each year. The largest difference between the two types of positions is the fact that representatives cannot vote on bills.
“Representatives are here to represent,” said Freshman President Callie Parton. “To be able to fully represent my class or a specific issue, I feel I need to be allowed to have an opinion that actually counts during meetings. As a representative, being allowed to vote on bills would give me the true opinion I long for in SGA.”
SGA is a great extracurricular organization, and I look forward to seeing new faces in our next meeting. If you believe SGA is a well-needed organization but aren’t sure you want to run for a position, our meetings are always open for the student body to attend. Meetings take place each Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in Thaw 216. These meetings will resume during spring semester.