A Basic Overview
The
St. Olaf College Student Government Association is the official
representative student body on campus. All SGA decisions and
operations are administered and executed by full-time students,
elected or appointed by their peers. The student leaders are
advised by the Dean of Students, the Director of Student Activities
and the Assistant Director of Student Activities.
SGA has two primary roles: student advocacy
to the college administration and campus programming for all
of the undergraduate students of St. Olaf. A Student Senate,
programming branches and other committees work to accomplish
this dual role. The Student Senate is the legislative branch,
ultimately responsible for all of the actions of SGA Composed
of 35 voting and 4 ex-officio members, senators represent
the diverse qualities of St. Olaf students. The Student Senate
meets once a week and discusses issues of broad campus concern,
confirms SGA appointees, and approves all SGA spending. Senate
also has several subcommittees that survey the student body,
develop proposals and bring them to the full Senate for action.
The day-to-day operations of SGA are administered
by members of the SGA executive committee Elected at-large
or appointed every spring, the SGA executive committee consists
of:
- SGA
President and Vice-President,
-
Financial Officer,
-
Public Relations Co-Directors,
- SGA Webmaster
-
Executive Assistant,
-
Board of Regents Observer,
-
SAC Coordinator,
-
PAC Coordinator,
-
SOC Coordinator,
-
Lion's Pause Co-Coordinators,
-
VN Coordinator,
-
DCC Coordinator and
-
SAA Coordinator.
Each
executive committee member holds no less than five office hours
per week, organizing programs, advocating, and working with
their committee members to provide the best activities for St.
Olaf students. Executive committee members are based out of
the Office of Student Activities (except the Pause Coordinators),
which is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday thru Friday. All
students are welcome to stop by and visit with their elected
representatives at any time. Comprising
an official student observer to the Board of Regents, representatives
from each class, and public relations representatives, the
Board of Regents Student brings student concerns directly
to the college's governing body, the Board of Regents. The
student observer, a member of Senate and the SGA executive
committee, sits in on the regents' meetings, makes suggestions
to the board, and reports the proceedings back to the student
body.
The
Student Activities Committee (SAC) is a programming branch
dedicated to such events as hypnotists, comedians, parent-student
banquets, Homecoming, Senior Week, President's Ball, the monthly
wall calendar, trips to sports events in the cities among
many other special events.
The
Political Awareness Committee
(PAC) sponsors and co-sponsors several speakers and special
programs designed to increase ales' awareness of issues beyond
St. Olaf. Past speakers have included Janet Reno, Judy Shepard,
John Stossel, among many others PAC also sponsors political
candidate awareness and voter registration.
The
Student Organizations Committee
(SOC) recognizes and supports over 150 student-run organizations
on campus, from the Swing Club to the Film Club. If there
isn't an organization that interests you, the application
process to start a new one is easy. To learn more about the
application process, visit the PAC web page. SOC also runs
the Student Organizations Resource Center (SORC), located
across the hall from the Office of Student Activities.
The
Lion's Pause is the student-run and operated "nightclub"
of St. Olaf. Formerly housed in Old Ytterboe Hall, the Pause
is found on the first level of Buntrock, near the information
desk. Besides bringing in bands and concerts, the Pause serves
as a venue for many SAC programs. Plus, no one beats the tasty
and affordable Pause pizza and other snacks.
The
Diversity Celebrations Committee (DCC) promotes and coordinates
programming that celebrates cultural, ethnic and racial diversity.
The calendar of events encourages education, awareness and
experiencing various cultures throughout the entire year.
This committee also works closely with the office of Multicultural
Affairs and Community Outreach.
Established
in 1993, the Volunteer Network
(VN) is in charge of numerous volunteer programs, on and off
campus. Opportunities include visiting residents at the Northfield
Retirement Center to serving lunch at People Serving People
in Minneapolis. The spirit of service and giving thrives at
St. Olaf College and VN helps make it happen.
The
Student Alumni Association (SAA) is SGA's newest branch, making
it's debut in 2001. This committee focuses on bridging the
gap between students and alumni MentorNet and Ole Ventures
are two examples of this exciting relationship that is being
formed.
There
are a few other services provided by SGA that fall into no
particular category. The Book, The Official Student
Planner, is designed and partially funded by SGA. The
Book contains a complete calendar for the school year,
information about resources on- and off-campus, student government
and involvement sections and schedule sheets. It is distributed
upon arrival to all students, faculty and staff of the college.
A joint project of SGA and the Carleton Student Association,
the Weekend After Hours Transportation runs on Friday and
Saturday nights from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am, shuttling between
Carleton and St. Olaf, with stops at several Northfield destinations
between. SGA also funds a movie bus to the Lakeville Theater
every Saturday night. The bus is free, and upon riding, you
receive a discounted admission ticket to the movie!
Getting
Involved
Becoming an active member of SGA is easy!
Whether you decide to run for office, join a programming committee
or a Senate subcommittee, help out on a special event or simply
attend a meeting and share your feelings, every student at
St. Olaf is invited to take part in what SGA does. SGA brings
great opportunities to meet fellow Oles, have the chance to
influence decisions that directly affect you and have the
chance to develop teamwork and leadership skills. Plus, you
will just generally have a great time! SGA online has more
in-depth information about each of the SGA branches and committees.
Take the time to visit those pages and find our which areas
interest you the most. Visit one of your elected representatives;
whether it's your hall senator or the student body president,
each one is willing to talk to you. The bottom line: just
get in touch with us and we'll help you find the place where
you can do the most for yourself and other Oles. We'll be
glad to welcome you aboard! |
