By Zach Tufenkjian | Guest Contributor
I joined my first student government when I was elected to my middle school’s student council in the sixth grade. Since then, I have been involved every year and currently serve as Attorney General for the Baylor University Student Government. Although serving in this organization has been a passion of mine for several years now, I want to make something abundantly clear to every student at least remotely interested in joining: we need you.
Although I am a member of Student Government, today I write to you as a fellow student who seeks to hold it up to the same standards and accountability as a non-member. Last week, the Student Senate discussed and ultimately rejected legislation that would reapportion Senate seats for academic colleges, student populations and student organizations. This sought to move past the current structure of 52 seats divided equally amongst the four classifications. Although I helped author the proposal myself, I could not stop thinking what the debate would be like if we had a more representative Student Government from every area on campus.
Student Government provides a unique place on our campus to bring many different voices, perspectives and experiences to one open forum. However, the hard truth is that our Student Government represents only a small portion of our academic colleges, student populations and student organizations. That needs to be fixed both on paper in the Student Government bylaws and through our communication efforts.
As the filing deadline of March 19 approaches for this year’s elections, I want to encourage everyone and anyone who may be interested in serving within Student Government to consider running for a position or applying to one over the summer. There is always a place for you and the amazing qualities you can bring to our university’s leading voice on campus. The time commitment is likely not as much as you think and there are roughly 100 positions that need to be refilled every year.
Serving in Student Government has been one of the best and most empowering experiences during my time at Baylor. If you would like more information, feel free to stop by the Student Government office in the basement of the Student Union Building, visit the Student Government website or contact Student Government leaders. And if you do not decide to run, please vote online in Student Government elections on April 8 and 9. I sincerely hope that you consider joining and becoming part of the Student Government family that I love so dearly.
