Become a part of SGA!
Any full-time, degree-seeking students enrolled in SMCM can run for a position
During election season, this page will be kept up-to-date with relevant timelines and the most recent petitions for candidacy. Stay tuned!
Election Season
To apply for a position on the Executive Board, students must declare their candidacy towards the end of the Spring semester prior to the academic year for which they would like to hold office. When election season arrives, flyers and students will receive an email with information on how to run. Special elections may be held at the beginning of an academic year for vacant positions.
To apply for a position in the Senate (senators and class presidents), students must complete the application process either at the end of the spring semester prior to the year they would like to serve OR at the beginning of the academic year they would like to serve (for first-years). Elections for the following year occur during the spring semester a week following Executive Board elections. When election season arrives, flyers and students will receive an email with information on how to run.
Any questions about candidacy eligibility or election season can be directed to sga@smcm.edu
Candidacy Requirements
In order to declare their candidacy for ANY SGA position, prospective candidates must submit a petition bearing fifty (50) signatures of full time students to the Elections Committee. On this petition, potential candidates must also submit a signed statement declaring knowledge of and agreement with the election code and campaign rules as well as a 250-word statement of their platform. (SGA Bylaws: Article 1, Section B).
what does the senate do?
The Senate is comprised of senators from each residence section of campus as well as the 4 class presidents. They are the voting members of the governing body who discuss on-campus issues, legislation, appointments, and club constitutions. They are expected to be at every meeting (with the exception of 2 excused absences). When a student would like to start a club on campus or allocate money to an aspect of student life, they bring their legislation, with the help of their senator, to the senate to be voted on. Different pieces of legislation have different requirements in order to be passed by the senate. In addition to their role in the senate, Class Presidents also oversee their class councils and fund raise for senior year events.
What does SGA Exec Board do?
The Executive Board is split into two councils: the Executive Council (President, Vice President, Parliamentarian, Secretary, Senate Leader, Publicity Chair, Treasurer, Club Coordinators) and the Representative Council (Student Trustee, SAAC Representatives, the MHEC Representative, the IDEs Representative, the Alumni Representative, the CSD Representative, the Residence Life Representative). The Executive council oversees the day-to-day running of the Student Government while the Representative Council ensures the representation of various groups on campus. Each individual on the Executive Board has a unique role that is outlined in the SGA Bylaws.
What do Class Executive Boards do?
When first-year students come in, their class is allocated a certain amount of starter funds from the SGA. From that point on, each class executive board every year works to build on these starter funds. This happens through fundraisers such as t-shirt sales, carnation sales, grilled cheese on the greens, etc. The end goal for all class executives is to raise enough money by the end of Senior year to put on celebratory events.
The Class Vice President, Historian, Secretary, and Treasurer from each exec board primarily assists in their unique roles to fundraise. They are not required to attend weekly SGA meetings, but must attend any class exec meetings or class town halls.
The Class President serves as the director of their exec board, but they are unique in that theirs is the only position required to attend the Tuesday evening SGA Senate meetings. Class Presidents carry a vote in the Senate, as they represent their class as a whole rather than a single housing area.
