Nominations for the Student Government Association (SGA) spring elections have opened on March 3 and will continue until March 21.
The following positions are open: SGA president, vice president, student life council member, senior class president, junior class president, and sophomore class president.
To run for the positions on the SGA executive board or student life council, a student must have a 2.5 GPA and be a full-time student. To be a class officer, a student must have a 2.2 GPA and be a full-time student.
A PDF of the nomination form is available to download off the SGA website, and hard copies of the nomination forms are placed outside the SGA office door. This form includes the available positions open for this spring election as well as the requirements to run.
After a form is filled out, it must be submitted to the Student Affairs Office located in Suite 122 of the Student Center between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, according to the SGA website.
John Isner, SGA vice president, said that his major advice for students interested in running is to listen to their peers. “You represent them,” Isner said. He said things can become difficult, and he encourages nominees to remember that they won’t win every battle and have to compromise.
“I benefited tremendously from this experience. I’ve learned better time management skills, my communication skills have improved, and I’ve become more patient,” Isner said. He says he will miss his position tremendously and looks forward to helping the next batch of student representatives.
Ferris Sinnas, a sophomore environmental studies major, said he feels students should “run to make a change, a difference.” Sinnas states, “For me, preventing budget cuts and allocating money is the most important thing for the school.”
In addition to providing leadership for the student body and overseeing campus life, the SGA also allocates the budget for student and co-curricular activities such as the Program Board, homecoming, The Picket, and the theater program.
In fiscal year 2013, between student activities and co-curricular activities, the SGA allocated a budget of $554,630.
According to the SGA website, the SGA works to establish a more effective and representative student government, to encourage interest and participation in responsible student government, to protect the rights of students, and to initiate, direct and promote students’ activities designed to enhance the welfare of the entire student body.
Cara Jeffries, a senior elementary education major, said, “It is important for students to take advantage of any leadership opportunity. It shows initiative and is a leadership piece to put on your resume which will help you get jobs.”
Student candidates should note that as a part of the new executive board, they must be installed and fully functional for a minimum of two meetings before the end of the academic year.
The executive positions are paid as student employees ($7.25/hour; 8 hours/week at max). Isner said that they do complete more than eight hours of work per week.
SGA offices are located on the ground floor of the student center to the left of the bookstore entrance. Stop by to pick up a nomination form or download the PDF application at http://www.shepherd.edu/sgaweb/.
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