Student Government positions available
I’m obviously biased and would love to see all RPI students participate in Student Government, but I know that it isn’t for everyone! Though, if you find yourself walking around campus thinking “Wow, why aren’t there more trash cans around campus?” or “hmm, I wonder who planned this event and how I could plan one of my own,” Student Government might be the right place for you.
Why run for Student Government? Well, the reason varies for everyone. Some want to make a difference for their current classmates; others want to make a difference for future RPI students. Some people want to focus their attention on the betterment of the academic experience at RPI, or the events held on campus, while others choose to dedicate their time to better the overall community both on and off campus. The people who run for positions are diverse, and their motivations for running are arguably even more diverse. At the end of the day, there is always one overarching theme—to make a difference.
How much time does Student Government require? Positions vary greatly in the level of time commitment. If you are only looking for a few hours a month and have a knack for planning events for your class, try going for a class representative position. Same goes for graduate students—if you are not sure how much time you can take away from research, the graduate representative role allows you to get involved and make your voice heard with just a few meetings per month. If you’d like to lead your Undergraduate Class Council, you can also run for president or vice president roles! If you find yourself with a passion for improving a certain aspect of student life, but also only have an hour or so of time you’d like to dedicate per week, join a Senate committee! On committees, you can contribute to a pre-existing project, or lead one of your very own. For those who want a larger role with more commitments, try running for a senator seat. The senator role, which has representations of each class of undergraduate students, graduate students, Greek students, and non-Greek students, attends a few meetings per week and averages around six to eight hours a week of commitment.
If you aren’t sure if you’d like to run for a position and would like talk more about it, or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at gm@rpi.edu. If you’d like to run but want more information before committing to candidacy, attend an information session! All information sessions are held from 6–7 pm in the Student Government Suite on the top floor of the Union, and dates of information sessions can be found at the Union elections website. If you have any questions on the elections process and how you can get your name on the ballot, feel free to reach out to the Elections Commission at union-elections@rpi.edu!