To begin my search into what UMass Amherst students are unaware of on campus, I will start with the SGA. For those who don’t know, SGA stands for Student Government Association. Leaders of RSOs (Registered Student Organizations, essentially clubs) may know the SGA as the group that gives out the SATF (Student Activities Trust Fund). Others may know the SGA through a subsidiary arm like Area Governments. What many people don’t know is that the SGA is a large body consisting of three branches (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) that are here to support their peers. Unfortunately, most students on campus appear to either not care or not know about the resources the SGA has to offer. As a whole, the SGA runs programs and works on initiatives to benefit students. In addition, it forms a link to the administration by being able to give student input on any university policy. Every student on this campus has a say and can run for any position in the Student Government. Many positions, like senator (of which there are 50), require open elections. Sadly, few people participate in these events. As you can see from this elections report, only 15.24% of students voted in the election this past fall for the undergraduate senate. During the spring election, students can vote for their president, vice president, and student trustee. The SGA website apparently does not have the 2015 elections report up and only has the 2014 reports (I have a copy of the 2015 report because I am a senator in the SGA, which I will attempt to upload in a following post). Only 15.38% of students voted for presidential/vice presidential tickets and only 12.63% of all students voted for the trustee. By the way, your new president is Sïonan Barrett, your vice president is Chantal Lima Barbosa, and your student trustee is Emily O’Neil. Though not a part of the SGA, the student trustee is the most important student position on campus. She is able to sit on the board of trustees, which runs the entire UMass system, and share a rotating vote along with the other UMass schools to have a direct say on the board. The general ignorance of these facts is the fault of the SGA, the university, and the students. Please help make our school better by becoming active members of your Student Government. For more information about the UMass Amherst SGA, visit the website here (although it’s not always up-to-date).
