Image with the initials "S.G.A." which stand for "Student Government Association." SGA is one of the places students can have a voice on campus. Logo courtesy of SGA. Graphic by The Signal Online Editor Alyssa Shotwell.

Student Government Association accepting applications for 2019-2020

By Agueda Jimenez On Mar 4, 2019 214 0

UHCL Student Government Association Logo. Photo Courtesy of UHCL Student Government Association.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) Student Government Association (SGA) will be accepting officer applications for the 2019-2020 school year from Feb. 26 to March 18. Elections will take place from March 19 to March 26. Applications and voting will now be held through the new GetInvolved website.

SGA is UHCL’s student government body and official student representative organization. It consists of representatives from all recognized student organizations, the Executive Council (EC) and the Senate.

SGA has four primary purposes: Advocate for and speak on behalf of the student body at large; provide insight to university administration on student and organizational issues; elect/appoint students to university committees; allocate funds to the student organizations.

“SGA advocates for the student body at large,” said Jessica Kunzat, vice president of outreach and communication for SGA. “Our focus is on hearing the needs, wants, complaints, etc. of students so that we can address these things with campus staff, faculty and administration.”

All officer positions are currently up for election including the executive council, senators, and the shared governance committee representatives. The executive council is made up of the student body President, Vice President – Committee Coordinator, Vice President – Outreach and Communication, and Vice President – Administration. Executive Council members are expected to participate in all SGA meetings and be able to commit 15-20 hours a week.

“Each Executive Council member has individual responsibilities, but as a collective, the EC is responsible for coordinating all things in relation to SGA, including the meetings, the senate, and committee representatives,” Kunzat said.

The Senate includes five representatives from each UHCL academic college, three of which are undergraduate, and two graduate students, as well as five representatives from student organizations. Senators are expected to commit 15-20 hours a week.

“The role of the Senate is to have a further reach into the student body,” Kunzat said. “They are able to bring back concerns from their constituencies and present those at senate meetings to be turned into action items that are addressed.”

Student Senator Flor Gonzalez said she enjoys being able to listen and help resolve students’ issues.

“What I enjoy most about being a Senator is hearing students’ problems and finding ways in which we can resolve those issues,” Gonzalez said. “For example, we had students ask for more recycling bins around campus and we have seen an increase in bins. We are currently working on online evaluations and looking to see that happen next semester.”

Kunzat explained the shared governance committee representatives sit on shared governance committees where they input the student’s opinions. Shared governance committee representatives are expected to commit 15-20 hours a week.

Students who are planning to be enrolled at UHCL through spring 2020, have a strong desire to serve their campus community while enhancing their personal and professional development, and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher are encouraged to apply for a position as an SGA executive officer, student senator or shared governance representative. Previous participation in SGA, student organizations, or other co-curricular activities (at UHCL or other colleges or universities) is helpful but not required.

Interested students are encouraged to speak to SGA incumbents and/or the SGA advisor Patrick Cardenas, interim director of the Student Life. For more information, call the SGA office at 281-283-2556, email sga@uhcl.edu or visit http://www.uhcl.edu/sga.

Once the application process closes on March 18, candidates’ speeches will be held at the SGA meeting on Tuesday, March 19, at 11:30 a.m. in the SSCB Lecture Hall. Voting will then open to all UHCL students shortly after the speeches are held and will close March 26. To vote, students will go through a link on the GetInvolved website.

“GetInvolved is a web platform that helps students become engaged on campus,” said Dillon Nash, coordinator of student life for organizations and activities, and the GetInvolved site manager. “To access the platform, students should go to www.uhcl.edu/getinvolved. This platform makes the SGA election process much easier and streamlined as they use their campus credentials to access the site”

SGA meetings are held every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. during fall and spring semesters in the SSCB Lecture Hall. SGA meetings have a recurring structure that includes a call to order, approval of the previous meeting’s minutes, new business, old business, executive council reports, student organization announcements, general announcements and ends with an open forum. Interested students are welcomed to attend SGA meetings, and are invited to fill out a “request to speak” form if desired.

“SGA meetings can provide students with a wealth of information about current events at UHCL and can be a forum for students to voice their concerns on different issues,” said SGA President Izuh Ikpeama.