What Does an SGA Exec. Officer Do? (Apply Now for 2017-18!)
by Craig Berger
In earlier posts I’ve described the roles of the
SGA Senate and
Finance Board. This post describes the role of the Executive Branch: the largest part of SGA, but the one with the fewest elected positions.
NOTE: SGA candidate applications for 2017-2018 are due at noon on Monday, March 27th. There are 20 available elected positions (President, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Organizations, Treasurer, 11 Senators, and 5 Finance Board Representatives).
The SGA Executive Branch
Membership: The Executive Branch consists of four elected officers—the President, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Organizations and Treasurer—and the staff members they appoint (with Senate approval) to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities. The students appointed by the President to Director positions of various departments are known collectively as the Cabinet. Only the four elected leadership positions are available now (the appointed positions will be opened up following the election).
The application form (
follow this link) contains information about the specific responsibilities of each of the four elected positions. What follows is a general description of the entire Executive Branch’s role in SGA.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and Articulate SGA’s Vision and Priorities: The President takes the lead in establishing SGA’s vision and priorities for the year, working closely with the other elected officers of the Executive Branch and the leaders of the other branches. The President also takes the lead in identifying ways to improve SGA’s effectiveness as an organization, inspiring and organizing other officers to consider and implement upgrades to SGA’s policies, practices and training program. The elected officers of the Executive Branch play a central role in communicating SGA’s vision and priorities to campus leaders and the student body. The President especially is a visible spokesperson for the organization, giving a speech at Convocation, participating in the annual University Retreat and representing SGA in many other settings.
- Run Programs and Provide Services: Appointed staff members in the Executive Branch are specialists: charged with developing and implementing specific initiatives or managing information and communications about particular topics. For example, an assistant to the Treasurer might be tasked with maintaining a log of student organization funding requests and Finance Board allocations. The Director of Academic Affairs is responsible for programs and advocacy relating to students’ experiences inside the classroom, and staff members working for the Director can expect to be tasked with specific projects, or pieces of specific projects, in this area. The value of this setup is that it is relatively easy to coordinate and ensures maximum accountability: You always know exactly who is responsible for following through. It is especially useful in connection with ongoing programs and services, where the bulk of the creative planning work has already happened and the focus now is on implementation.
- Represent the Student Body: The President is the principal voice of the student body to audiences such as the campus administration, the media and state officials. The President also appoints student representatives to certain decision-making committees at UMBC and, with approval from the Senate, also chooses the student body’s representatives to the University System of Maryland Student Council and the Maryland Higher Education Commission Student Advisory Council.
- Manage SGA’s Internal Operations and Support the Senate and Finance Board: The elected leaders of the Executive Branch take the lead in ensuring that SGA members know their responsibilities, have the guidance and support they need, and communicate effectively as they learn about developments on campus and implement their initiatives. They identify and troubleshoot problems as they arise. The President takes the lead in planning and preparing for the fall and spring SGA Retreats. All members of the Executive Branch serve as resources (sources of information and helping hands) to the Senate and Finance Board as they fulfill their own responsibilities.
Guiding Philosophy: The Executive Branch is focused on action. It is organized to ensure maximum productivity, with clear lines of accountability.
While the elected members of the Executive Branch are highly visible, most members of the Executive Branch do the majority of their work behind the scenes, providing the crucial research, communication, relationship building and legwork needed to facilitate and produce excellent programs, services and advocacy for students.
For the elected members of the Executive Branch, the focus of attention and activity is the total impact SGA is having on the well-being of UMBC students. They ask themselves, could we be functioning more effectively as an organization? What capabilities do we need to develop in order to provide better services, and how shall we develop them? Are we set up to connect with students in the ways that would serve them best, and if not, how should we adjust? How can we support individual SGA members in staying inspired and being as effective as they can be in their roles?
For the appointed members of the Executive Branch, the focus of attention and activity is the specific outcomes expected from their projects. They ask themselves, what are the steps I must take in order to accomplish the tasks that have been delegated to me? With whom do I need to develop relationships in order to position my projects for success? How can I communicate my progress and objectives in order to gain the support I need to succeed? How can I involve students outside of SGA in my work in order to maximize the impact of my projects?
Questions about the Executive Branch, or about running for a position in SGA? Send Election Board Chair Sophia Lopresti (
soph3@umbc.edu) or me (
berger@umbc.edu) an email.
]]>
by Craig Berger In earlier posts I’ve described the roles of the SGA Senate and Finance Board. This post describes the role of the Executive Branch: the largest part of SGA, but the one with...
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Wed, 15 Mar 2017 11:32:19 -0400
What Does an SGA Finance Bd. Rep. Do? (Apply for 2017-2018)
by Craig Berger
NOTE: SGA candidate applications for 2017-2018 are due at noon on Monday, March 27th. There are 20 available elected positions (President, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Organizations, Treasurer, 11 Senators, and 5 Finance Board Representatives).
The SGA Finance Board
Membership: The Finance Board’s members include the Vice President for Student Organizations, the Treasurer, and five Representatives, all of whom are elected by the student body. In addition, the Finance Board can add up to three nonvoting First Year Ambassadors each fall. Also, the President, Executive Vice President and SGA Advisor, as well as UMBC’s President and Vice President for Student Affairs, are ex-officio (nonvoting) Finance Board members.
The voting members elect a Chair, who runs the weekly meetings and organizes the Finance Board’s work, and a Vice Chair who fills in when the Chair is absent.
Key Responsibilities:
- Allocating Funds to Student Organizations: The Finance Board is responsible for managing the portion of SGA’s annual budget that is set aside to support student organizations. Throughout the academic year, student organizations can request funds by completing an Allocation Request Form and submitting it to the Treasurer. The total amount requested each year is far larger than the total amount of funding available. At its weekly meetings, the Finance Board reviews these forms and (for larger requests) meets with officers of the student organizations that submitted them, and considers whether each request meets the following criteria:
- The rules governing Finance Board allocations do not prohibit funding the request (i.e., it was not submitted after the deadline, the funds will not be used to purchase alcohol, the funds will not be donated to charity, etc.); and
- The proposed use of these funds is so worthwhile that the Finance Board is willing to turn down other requests in order to devote these funds to the group’s objective.
The Finance Board takes a vote on each request, approving it, disapproving it, or postponing consideration until a later date. A majority of members must vote in favor of a request in order to approve it. The President may veto allocations approved by the Finance Board, and the Finance Board can override the President’s veto by a 2/3 vote.
- Communicating with Student Organizations: The Finance Board communicates with student organizations about how to submit requests, the rules governing Finance Board allocations, what makes for a good request, and whether requests have been approved, disapproved or postponed.
- Participating in SGA Decision-Making: The Finance Board shares responsibility with the Senate and other SGA officers in connection with decisions about the annual budget, allocations from the SGA's reserve fund, and approval of certain appointed officers.
- Participating in SGA Initiatives and Activities: Finance Board members work with members of the other branches of SGA to contribute to positive change on campus. It is especially helpful when Finance Board members identify and develop ways to support student organizations more effectively, such as improvements to the event planning and implementation process.
Guiding Philosophy: Student organizations are key forums for students to participate in creating campus life and enhancing the experiences of every member of the UMBC community. When student organizations are active and inspired, they can energize the entire campus. When student organizations are poorly supported, confused and frustrated, their inability to contribute to campus life diminishes everyone’s experience.
However, because financial resources are limited, the Finance Board often finds itself in the position of saying “no” to student organization requests. Sometimes the Finance Board must decline requests for worthwhile activities simply because there is only so much money to go around, and the Finance Board wants to use it to support the most beneficial events and projects. By dealing fairly, openly and courteously with every request, and by making hard judgments to ensure that the available funds go to support the best initiatives, the Finance Board makes an important contribution to every UMBC student’s experience of campus life.
One of the Finance Board’s key concerns is being consistent in its judgments. Two groups with equally good track records who submit identical requests a couple of months apart should not receive different treatment, both because it would be unfair and because it would confuse other organizations about what the Finance Board is interested in funding. So with each decision, a part of what the Finance Board considers is whether it would be able to accommodate other groups making the same request. For example, if the Finance Board receives a request to pay for one group’s promotional buttons, it should consider whether it would be willing to pay for any other group’s promotional buttons if the circumstances were the same.
Eligibility Requirements and Time Commitment:
From the SGA Constitution: "In order to be eligible to seek and hold elected SGA offices, or appointed offices for which a stipend is provided and/or the officer is responsible for supervising other appointed officers, an individual must be a UMBC undergraduate, have at least a cumulative 2.25 GPA, maintain at least a 2.25 semester GPA while in office, and neither be on academic probation nor under disciplinary suspension (whether in effect, imposed for a future time period or held in abeyance). [...] [A]ll Senate and Representatives must adhere to the attendance requirements determined by their respective legislative body and as outlined in each respective body’s procedural rules to maintain eligibility."
The Finance Board Representative position requires attendance at weekly meetings. The Finance Board meets every Tuesday starting at 5:30 p.m. Anyone can attend, but all members of the Finance Board must attend. If you are running for Finance Board Representative, you are not able to enroll in a class that will be in session after 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays during the 2017-2018 academic year. (Meetings occasionally run as late as 11:00 p.m.).
Questions about the Finance Board, or about running for a position in SGA? Contact Election Board Chair Sophia Lopresti (
soph3@umbc.edu) or send me an email at
berger@umbc.edu. Be sure to get your
application in by the deadline!
]]>
by Craig Berger In an earlier post I described what an SGA Senator does. Below I explain the role of an SGA Finance Board member. NOTE: SGA candidate applications for 2017-2018 are due...
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What Does an SGA Senator Do? (Apply Now for 2017-2018)
by Craig Berger
SGA candidate applications for 2017-2018 are due on Monday, March 27th at 12:00 noon ET.
This is the first of a few items I'll post to provide some background information about the 20 available elected positions (President, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Organizations, Treasurer, 11 Senators, and 5 Finance Board Representatives). The candidate application can be found here.
The SGA Senate
Membership: The Senate’s members include 11 Senators elected by the student body. In addition, the Senate can add up to three nonvoting First Year Ambassadors each fall. Also, the President, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Organizations, Treasurer and SGA Advisor, as well as UMBC’s President and Vice President for Student Affairs, are ex-officio (nonvoting) members of the Senate.
The voting members elect a Speaker, who runs the weekly meetings and organizes the Senate’s work, and an Assistant Speaker, who helps the Speaker and organizes members’ participation on UMBC committees.
Key Responsibilities: - Communicating with the Student Body: More than any other branch in SGA, the Senate’s job is to listen to the voices of UMBC undergraduates and find new ways to respond to their needs, concerns and aspirations. Senators find and develop multiple avenues for connecting with students, sparking and collecting their ideas, and supporting them in their own projects to improve the UMBC experience.
- Initiating Action to Improve Students’ Experiences: The Senate is where many of SGA’s new initiatives are born: an incubator of ideas and plans to improve UMBC policies, programs and practices. Senators work together, both at the weekly meetings and in smaller groups throughout each week, to envision needed changes, develop practical plans, and coordinate the work of implementing them, involving and receiving support from Executive Branch officers as appropriate.
For example, the Senate could decide that what the student body needs is new dining options in The Commons. A team of Senators would work together, coordinating with the President, to determine how to pursue these new options (identifying key decision-makers, researching the history of the existing dining options, developing a plan for advocating changes, engaging and informing the student body), and work to make the change happen. If the Senate develops an initiative that requires steady, ongoing attention in subsequent years, the initiative may shift to the Executive Branch for implementation after the first year.
- Taking Positions/Considering Legislation: When SGA formally takes a position on an issue, such as a bill being considered by the state legislature, it does so in the form of legislation approved by a majority vote of the Senate (which can be vetoed by the President, subject to override by a 2/3 vote of the Senate). The Senate also has or shares responsibility for approving the annual budget, allocations of funds from SGA’s reserve account, and the appointment of certain SGA officers. In addition, the Senate manages a fund from which it can make allocations to SGA projects.
- Representing the Student Body: Senators represent all students on UMBC committees (consisting of staff, faculty and students) that establish campus policies and practices. Fulfilling this responsibility entails both attending and participating actively in committee meetings and communicating with other SGA members and the student body about what the committees are doing. (This responsibility is shared with the Executive Branch).
- Participating in SGA Initiatives and Activities: Senators work with members of the other branches of SGA to contribute to positive change on campus.
Guiding Philosophy: The Senate is a focal point for creativity and action. The Senator’s job description is intentionally more flexible than those in other branches, because the specific work Senators take on from year to year is most likely to change in response to new opportunities and needs.
The Senate typically works most effectively when students outside of SGA are involved in its work from the early brainstorming stage through the end of an initiative’s implementation. Members of the UMBC administration and faculty are far more likely to take Senators and their ideas seriously when it is clear that many other students are involved and committed to the same goals. While the Senate sometimes can serve as a problem-solver and advocate on other students’ behalf, it strives to keep other students at the center, and may even play a secondary but crucial role as a supporter of other students’ initiatives.
Because its initiatives can yield new programs and services that require implementation year after year, the Senate must cultivate support and cooperative relationships within SGA, especially with the Executive Branch. Doing so diminishes the possibility that Senators’ good work will be abandoned at the end of their terms.
Eligibility Requirements and Time Commitment: From the SGA Constitution:
"In order to be eligible to seek and hold elected SGA offices, or appointed offices for which a stipend is provided and/or the officer is responsible for supervising other appointed officers, an individual must be a UMBC undergraduate, have at least a cumulative 2.25 GPA, maintain at least a 2.25 semester GPA while in office, and neither be on academic probation nor under disciplinary suspension (whether in effect, imposed for a future time period or held in abeyance). [...] [A]ll Senate and Representatives must adhere to the attendance requirements determined by their respective legislative body and as outlined in each respective body’s procedural rules to maintain eligibility."
The Senator position requires attendance at weekly meetings. The Senate meets every Monday starting at 5:30 p.m. Anyone can attend, but Senators must attend. If you are running for Senator, you are not able to enroll in a class that will be in session after 5:30 p.m. on Mondays during the 2017-2018 academic year. (Meetings occasionally run as late as 11:00 p.m.).
Questions about the Senate, or about running for a position in SGA? Send Election Board Chair Sophia Lopresti (
soph3@umbc.edu) or me (
berger@umbc.edu) an email.
]]>
by Craig Berger SGA candidate applications for 2017-2018 are due on Monday, March 27th at 12:00 noon ET. This is the first of a few items I'll post to provide some background information...
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