How you can get involved in Student Government

Campaigning for elected Student Government positions officially kicked off this past week on February 12, 2020!

Students can now attend informational sessions to learn about the rules and procedures of campaigning for elected positions. Attending an informational session is a requirement for campaigning. The information sessions are administered by the Elections Commission every day at 6 pm from February 12, 2020 through March 18, 2020 (not including Spring Break). These sessions are held in the Student Government Suite, Union room 3120. If you would like to run for an elected position but cannot attend any of these informational sessions, please email the Chair of the Elections Commission at rne-chair@union.lists.rpi.edu or you can email me at gm@rpi.edu. If you would like to see the available positions please visit https://elections.union.rpi.edu/.

Elected positions are positions in Student Government that students have the ability to vote for during Grand Marshal Week. There are many elected positions and they cover a large range of time commitments and purposes. The highest elected position in Student Government is the role of grand marshal. This is followed by the president of the union and the undergraduate council president.

The next highest positions include class presidents, class vice presidents, and senators. Class presidents and vice presidents are responsible for organizing their class councils and using money from class dues to put on events for their class to build camaraderie within their class.

Senators are responsible for voting in the Student Senate, attending general Senate meetings, participating in two Senate committees or chairing a committee, and participating in their class council. The time requirements for these roles range anywhere from five to ten hours a week. By serving in these roles, students develop a breadth of leadership skills and have opportunities to contribute to meaningful and impactful projects while networking with other students, faculty, and administrators. If you would like to be involved in student government in an elected role but do not have the time to serve in this capacity, you may be interested in a representative role.

Each class council and the Graduate Council are supported by representatives. Class and graduate representatives are elected roles that require only around one to two hours per week. These students are responsible for helping to plan and administer events for students in their respective cohorts. This is also a great way to build leadership skills and practice time management, organizational skills, and network within your class.

If you are not interested in campaigning for an elected position, there are many ways for students to hold non-elected positions in Student Government. Non-elected positions are incredibly useful in gaining leadership experience and helping the campus community. If you are not sure you are ready to campaign for an elected position, make sure to check out our Senate and Executive Board committees! The Student Senate accomplishes a lot of project work through committees. These committees are a great place to gain valuable leadership skills while pursuing projects that align with your individual passions. Anyone can join these committees. There is no application process. However, if you are interested in taking on a leadership role within a committee you may have to apply for these roles. Descriptions of each committee and contact information can be found in this article.

Students may also apply to be an officer of a governing body. These positions are things such as committee chairs, secretaries, treasurers and vice presidents. Anyone who participates in Student Government is able to contribute in a meaningful capacity in order to impact change for current and future students.

If you would like to talk with current members of Student Government, feel free to stop by the Student Government Suite and ask for more information about this type of commitment. Members of Student Government will be tabling in the Quad-facing Union Lobby on Wednesdays February 19 and 26. You can get campaigning information and learn more about each body of Student Government during these tabling sessions.