Student Government Association’s (SGA) senate election will be here in a matter of weeks. SGA held their first meeting via Zoom at 3 p.m. Friday, August 28, regarding the upcoming election.
The meeting had a turnout of over thirty people, including some current members. Executive President Jamaal Lockings revealed that the actual time frame of voting for the senate election will be Wednesday, September 9 thru Friday, September 11. At 4 p.m. Friday, September 4th, SGA will be holding another meeting with their election rules committee leading it. To run, attending this meeting is a requirement, it will be going into detail regarding what is legal in the campaigning process. To take part in the SGA’s election rules committee meeting, desiring students must complete and turn-in senate applications before the meeting begins. There are no exceptions.
Before applying , SGA said that students must make sure they are eligible. The main requirements is that students have a 2.5 GPA and are taking at least 12 credit hours. There may be other requirements depending on the position. If a candidate meets the requirements, and is successfully accepted as a candidate by the SGA, candidates may begin campaigning this Friday at 5 p.m. Due to COVID-19, all physical handout and campaigning items are banned. Lockings expressed his desire of aspiring candidates to pay attention to what is allowed and what is not allowed while campaigning, especially during the pandemic.
Senate candidates will know who all opposing candidates are by the conclusion of the election rules committee meeting. To win the election, a candidate must hold at least 50% of the votes. If no candidate holds at least 50% of the votes after the count, the top two candidates will proceed to a run-off. The run-off, if necessary, will take place from Monday, September 14, thru Tuesday, September 15.
There are no dues or fees associated with running for any position of the SGA. The only thing required by a candidate is the time commitment that comes with being a part of the student senate and SGA. To some, this may seem overwhelming, but multiple SGA members raved about the benefits.
“A UCA senate member can be just as impactful as the executive president. Throughout my time as a member of the Student Government Association (SGA), I have seen some incredible accomplishments from senate members. These include . . . wonderful events such as Day at the Capitol where we take senators to the Arkansas Capitol to discuss business with our state representatives,” Lockings said. “It is always very exciting to see how we will affect our living and learning community for the better every academic year.” However, he is not the only SGA member to express gratitude about the SGA.
“SGA has offered me countless leadership opportunities and helped me develop professional approaches to handling problems and working with others,” senator and sophomore class Vice President Gavin-Beaver Tabor said. “SGA has taught me how to stand up for what I believe in, while also allowing me to respect and understand others. I have been able to build upon my public speaking abilities and have developed confidence when I speak in front of groups of people.”
SGA is looking forward to seeing who is next in taking on the challenge to lead our student community. This opportunity has the ability pay tremendous dividends to whichever students accept the prestigious role as student senator.
