Students having aspirations of one day running for public office may view Student Government (SG) as a way to jump start their political careers. One thing that is often overlooked by students is how large of a time commitment student government requires. According to SG officials, it’s more than just a title, it’s a full time job that must be performed to serve over 32,000 students.
Student Government Elected Officials
Allyson Bowers (Senior, Govt & International Politics Major) – President, Student Body. Bowers is in her fourth year with SG and has previously served as Speaker of the Senate, and Chairwoman of the Govt and Academic Affairs Committee.
Jacky Yoo (Senior, Communications Major) – Vice President, Student Body. Yoo is in her second year with SG and served as VP last year alongside former President D’Leon Barnett.
Alex Williams (Junior, Govt & International Politics Major) – Chief of Staff. Williams is in his second year with SG and has served as a former Senator. Acting as Secretary to Bowers and Yoo, he coordinates meetings and fills in when either the Pres. or VP are not available. Williams also works as liaison between different branches of SG.
Tommy Lee (Junior, Conflict Analysis & Resolution Major) – Speaker, Student Senate. Lee is in his third year with SG. As Speaker, Lee acts as chairman during full Senate sessions and keeps the Senators organized.
Brad Gross (Junior, Finance Major) – Speaker Pro-Tempore, Student Senate. Gross is in his second year with SG.His duties as Parliamentarian include ensuring all rules and Code requirements are adhered to during meetings, keeping the Senate in check, and filling in when the Speaker cannot perform his duties.
Student Government Overview
There are currently 25 elected members serving on the Senate, leaving 15 open slots needing to be filled. Spring elections typically fill 30 of these spots; the remaining 10 are reserved for freshmen/transfer elections which takes place mid-October.
Aside from the Senate, there is the Executive Branch which includes the President, VP, Chief of Staff, Cabinet Secretaries and Undersecretaries. The Executive Branch works closely with the Senate to accomplish several initiatives. The names of Executive Branch positions typically correlate with University offices (i.e. University Life, Parking Appeals, etc).
The Elections and Disputes Commission deals with exactly what the name suggests – elections and disputes between branches.
The Parking Appeals Board is there for students who may have previously appealed a ticket to Parking and Transportation and the appeal wasn’t granted. These students may attempt a second appeal. The process includes this student board who discuss the citation with the student and then send their notes to the Parking office to make the final call.
SG maintains an annual budget of approximately $20,000. About $1,000 is given to the Elections and Disputes Commission to conduct elections (advertising and packets), with an extra $500 going toward printing. As Student Body President, Bowers receives about $1,000 to use at her discretion toward SG-related expenses. The remaining $17,500 is available to be spent by SG but must be allocated for in advance and approved through a Bill that passes in Senate, according to Bowers.
Although SG has a budget and sponsors many initiatives throughout the year, they do not have any official power.
“We do not sit on the Board of Visitors, nor do we have a say in actual school policy or decisions – we can merely voice an opinion,” Chief of Staff, Alex Williams said. “SG acts as the liaison between students [both individual and organizations] and the school. One recent example of this is how SG helped coordinate efforts with College Republicans and Democrats to get a polling precinct on campus.”
According to Student Senate Speaker Tommy Lee, a goal of almost every SG member is to increase their presence on campus.
“As Mason continues to expand and grow, members of SG are eager and ready to represent the student voice and ensure that voice is heard,” Lee said.
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