There are only a few steadfast requirements in place to run for these positions — candidates must have completed 49 credit hours with at least 24 hours completed at this institution, uphold good academic standing and be a fulltime student.
As long as students meet these requirements, they are eligible to run for president and executive vice president positions — even if they have no prior experience serving on SGA.
In recent years, students with prior experience have occupied these offices.
Catie Carney, president of SGA, said this experience has helped her fulfill her duties as president.
“Serving on student government for the past three years really opened my eyes to what it is capable of doing and how it runs, so it definitely gave me experience. I knew what I was getting myself into, more so than an outsider who would get this position,” Carney said.
Michael Slavens, executive vice president of SGA, expressed concern about a newcomer’s possible lack of campus connections and knowhow.
“The most important thing is to know who to talk to for different things and the different procedures you have to go through to get things done,” Slavens said.
While the student body elects the president and executive vice president, other electoral committee positions are determined through appointments or elections within SGA. In these instances, Slavens said prior experience is an advantage.
“If you’re going to appoint someone, you need to pick someone that you know you can trust and you know works well with others. The best way to know these things is to pick someone that has already served because you’ve gotten to know them over at least the past year while they served, so you know if they’d do well in the position and if you get along with them,” Slavens said.
Slavens added that SGA is “a great experience,” and he encouraged interested students to run for representative positions this spring.
“I highly recommend it, but I feel like it’s just like any other organization where unless somebody reaches out to you and says ‘hey you should do this,’ people don’t have interest in it. I think it’s kind of sad because it really is a great experience; it’s helped me grow immensely,” Slavens said.
