• 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.

• 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.

1. 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
2. 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.

• 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.

Fridays at the Point
Join field archaeologist Esther Read for an afternoon in the archaeology lab at the Maritime Visitors Center in Fells Point from 1 to 5pm every Friday. No experience is necessary; we will work with you as you learn about what archaeologists do in the lab and how we interpret archaeological finds. Along the way we hope to meet some new friends and share our passion for the past with you. For more information, contact Esther Read.

• 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.

Read about Senior Betty Irungu and her research on ethnic identity in Kenya. Her study included analyzing the effect of the reforms in Kenya governance on citizenship in that country. Most unexpected part of doing research as an undergraduate, "my excitement in finding other scholars who share my interests!"