The election filing process for students intending to run for positions in the 46th Student Government Association’ Administration begins today and lasts through Feb. 25.
‘We are looking for students across the board who are seeking the opportunity to get involved,’ said SGA Chief Election Commissioner Micah Kenfield.
Students interested in running for president, vice president or senator are required to be enrolled in UH classes and in good academic standing with the University. The filing deadline has been extended this semester in an attempt to encourage more student involvement.
‘There are so many students that want to be involved,’ SGA President Sam Dike said. ‘We want to give them adequate time to seriously think about participating.’
Dike will graduate this semester and will not be seeking re-election. He said it’s the SGA president’s responsibility to be the official representative of the student body. The president is also responsible for working up to 20 weekly office hours to meet student needs.
‘My first priority is to serve students’ interests and needs,’ Dike said. ‘It is the president’s responsibility to make sure they understand the pulse of the students.’
SGA Vice President Jonas Chin is also graduating in the spring and not seeking re-election.’ The office of vice president is responsible for overseeing UH committees and reviewing appointments to those committees.
‘It is important to make sure the student voice is heard,’ Chin said. ‘The vice president has to have a passion for the University.’
Elected senators will be responsible for representing the college of their major.
‘Senators voice their opinion on school-wide issues,’ said Chin. ‘Their job is to represent their college and its constituents.’
Of the nearly 30 SGA officers, fewer than 10 will be running for re-election.
‘There is a wide open field for students who are interested,’ Kenfield said.
Kenfield is responsible for recruiting the students, and once the filing process is closed he will be responsible for coordinating the election on March 11 and 12.
‘I oversee two prongs of the election,’ said Kenfield. ‘Right now it is important to get more candidates involved.’
Students can see the SGA in action today at a 6:30 p.m. Town Hall meeting in the Moody Towers commons. Along with Residential Life and Housing, SGA will unveil new developments in campus dining facilities and the use of Cougar cash.
‘Campus dining was one of our main initiatives,’ Dike said. ‘We are so thrilled to be getting results for what we have been asking for.’
SGA will also hold a health fair on Feb.12 with the help of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, the University Health Center and other organizations.
‘This administration still has several important initiatives,’ said Dike. ‘This has been a really exciting semester.’
Some ongoing SGA initiatives include’ working with the Texas Student Association, developing a tuition plan for students, college council projects to strengthen student voices, a nationwide recycling competition and a concentration on sustainability.
‘With a particular focus on sustainability and parking and transportation, we need to look at parking as a two-way street,’ Dike said. ‘We need more parking but we also need fewer cars on campus.’
Applications for office are available at the campus activities front desk in the UC Underground, the SGA office and the Dean of Students’ office. Students can also find applications online at www.uhsga.com.’
‘Thirty-six thousand students are counting on SGA’s ability to speak for them; not all will vote, but you still represent all students,’ Dike said. ‘It is important to get students to love the University and to be a part of it.’
