Applications for both elected and advisory positions in Student Government Association (SGA) are now open to all full-time undergraduate students. Cindy Mollendor, the EPIC Mentor Ambassador for SGA and a junior studying Elementary Education, encourages students to get their applications in before the March 30 deadline. Applications can be found at Western.edu/SGA.
Mollendor joined SGA this year to represent the EPIC Mentors in student government, representing the perspective of the mentors in SGA, and vice versa. “I bring stuff happening at SGA to the EPIC Mentors, and the EPIC Mentors then bring that to all first-time students,” relays Mollendor.
This year, Mollendor is a member of the Elections Committee, helping to facilitate the recruitment of new students and ensure the process runs smoothly. Mollendor says that about half of SGA’s current members are graduating seniors and estimates that up to two-thirds of the body will likely turn over for next year, leaving a lot of open roles to fill for the 2022-23 academic year.
Being a part of SGA has made Mollendor aware of information and events across campus she otherwise would not have otherwise heard about. She says it’s been gratifying to go to SGA meetings and see that the other students care about campus issues in the same way that she does. “The people that are in SGA are incredible, and they are truly ready to advocate [for students] …if you believe in advocacy, then you should be on SGA,” says Mollendor.
For Mollendor, prospective candidates should all have one overarching consideration in mind when considering SGA: a passion for campus, and for going above and beyond on behalf of students. “We need people to go to extra events and just be a [friendly] face around campus,” says Mollendor, who cites the SGA barbeque before the Homecoming football game as one of her favorite SGA memories. “That was super fun to make our presence known, and also it was fun to give the student fees back to the students in the form of food.”
Looking ahead to next year’s SGA term, Mollendor sees a few issues that new and returning SGA members will likely wrestle with: implementing security cameras and potentially other campus safety measures, adjusting to a new presidential administration following the appointment of Brad Baca, and reckoning with the Strategic Resource Allocation study which initially recommended a downgrade in the Music Department from a major to a minor (that decision was reversed temporarily pending further study into enrollment and financial trends). “You [also] never know what could happen with Covid,” adds Mollendor.
After the application deadline closes on March 30, a mandatory candidate meeting will be held on Friday, April 1. The official campaign week begins Monday, April 4, with student candidates encouraged to campaign themselves via social media, fliering, tabling, and other methods of their choosing.
“They can campaign all the way through April 14, which is the end of elections,” adds Mollendor. Those elections will officially open Monday, April 11. Concurrently, interviews for the advisory positions will be held during the campaign and election weeks. SGA’s Election Committee will then announce the results of elections and interviews on Monday, April 18.
See below for more information on joining SGA!
Here is a list of the full criteria to join SGA:
- Must be a full-time (12 credits) student in good standing with the Office of the Registrar. Student cannot be on academic probation.
- Per SGA By-Laws, students running for elected Executive Board positions (President, VP Internal, VP External) must have served on SGA for one term.
- Most Advisory positions require that the student is participating in the respective organization or program.
- Please attach a resume. (PDF only) If you need assistance with your resume, please visit the Trailhead and ask help from an EPIC Mentor
- For additional information or to see the SGA By-Laws with Advisory positions job descriptions, please contact SGA at sga@western.edu or visit the SGA Course on your Canvas Dashboard.
The four elected positions (students running for vice president or presidential roles must have served at least one full year in SGA):
- President
- Vice President for External Affairs
- Vice President for Internal Affairs
- Senator
Advisory or Appointed Position (handled via an interview process conducted by SGA if there is more than one interested candidate, and/or by the organizations themselves in some cases):
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Campus Recreation Ambassador
- Council for Creative Expression Director
- EPIC Mentor Ambassador
- Honors Ambassador
- Inter Club Council Director
- LEAD Ambassador
- Multicultural Center Director
- Program Council Director
- NCAA Athletics Director
- Residence Life Ambassador
- Sustainability Ambassador
Students seeking elected or advisory roles will be asked to fill out three simple questions in addition to their résumé:
- Why do you want to join Western’s Student Government Association?
- How do you plan to make sure that all students are involved with the decisions that SGA makes?
- What is your philosophy on how student fees should be dispersed through SGA?