The Student Government Association is the main point at which student leadership and learning converge at Union University. Maintained by a unicameral legislative Senate and led by Student Body and Class Executives, the SGA serves the university by supporting legislation that improves existing policies and sponsoring initiatives that enhance school identity.
Every student at Union University has a voice and a vote in the Student Government Association. Most will exercise these rights in electing Executive Officers to represent their class and the student body. Students also have the opportunity to participate as a voting member of the Student Senate. Provided a student meets certain criteria, he or she may also campaign for an executive position.
The Student Government Association, its officers and members are governed by the Student Government Association Constitution and Bylaws. Questions about these documents can be referred to any of the Executive Officers or Jason Castles, SGA Advisor.
The Student Senate is the legislative body of and for the students of Union University. Each active campus organization holds two seats on the Student Senate, as do the Executive Officers for the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes. The SGA Vice-president serves as President of the Student Senate.
Two types of legislation are presented in the Student Senate:
Clicking on the above allows you to download a MS Word template for Senate legislation. Senators who wish to present a resolution or bill should download the template, update it with findings and conclusions applicable to their legislation, and then email (unionsenatebills@yahoo.com) the finished and edited legislation to the President of the Student Senate as an MS Word format attachment.
The Senate convenes biweekly on Wednesdays at 9:30pm, though conflicts with the university calendar occasionally necessitate rescheduling. Any updates to the Senate calendar will be posted in the SGA Office and on the SGA announcement board in the Student Union Building.
There are two categories of offices for which students may campaign: SGA Executive Offices and Class Offices. Any student may campaign for an SGA Executive position, but students may only campaign for class office in their own class. For example, a junior may campaign to be SGA Vice-president or Junior Class Treasurer but not Sophomore Class Secretary.
SGA Executive Officers hold their positions for calendar years and are elected in the late Fall. Class Officers' terms run concurrently with academic years, from August to July, and are elected in the late Spring. Class Officers who wish to campaign for SGA Executive positions must step down from their current role to campaign for a new office. Campaigns for vacated Class Offices are held in the week following SGA Executive elections.
All SGA Officers are required to maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA and can not be on university probation at the time of their campaign or placed on probation at any point during their term. Also, pursuant to SGA Bylaws, all Class Officers are required to live on campus throughout their term.
If you would like to more about campaigning for an SGA Executive Office, please read the pamphlets explaining the SGA Executive Office or Class Office election processes. Interested students can pick up candidate petitions from the Office of Student Leadership Development in the Student Union Building.
Get notification of campus emergencies through a text message and email alert system by signing up at UUAlerts
