By Bailee Neyman
Following the special election earlier this month, the University of Maryland’s Student Government Association has opened applications for executive cabinet, legislative leadership and judicial branch positions.
The student body does not elect these positions — current SGA members choose them.
For some students, SGA still feels disconnected from the student body. Miatta Musee, a freshman criminology and criminal justice major, and Tessa Heller, a freshman biology major, both said that they didn’t vote in the special election.
Only 1,943 of UMD’s 31,333 students voted in the special election, making up 6.2% of students.
Heller said she had no idea the election was even happening.
“If I knew what [SGA] actually did, I think I would have been more likely to do something,” she said.
Musee also said she does not fully understand the role of SGA at UMD.
“I know that the SGA represents the student body and [makes] decisions with leadership at UMD. That’s it,” she said.
SGA is responsible for advocating on behalf of the student body to the university and to local, state and national governments, when appropriate. It also works closely with student organizations and is responsible for allocating over a million dollars to various groups, such as club sports.
The SGA website defines committees as “the main way SGA initiatives come into fruition” and the “heart of SGA.”
SGA has even created a BuzzFeed quiz to help students decide which committee would be right for them to apply to, in an effort to increase student participation.
SGA has 12 committees, including academic affairs, communications and transportation and infrastructure.
Student Body President Sulyaman Khan said committees will help connect SGA to the student body and turn student concerns into action.
“[Officer positions] give students a direct way to be the bridge between what the students want and the actualization of these wants,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to actually do something, not just talk about an issue, but to create a solution for that issue.”
Outside the cabinet, Khan hopes to continue addressing the lack of student involvement and engagement with SGA.
“A lot of that is going to come down to our communications development, but also it really comes down to me,” he said. “A lot of things that I’m doing on a personal level are really about meeting students where they are, interacting, and getting involved with different clubs [and] different events on campus.”
The applications for current officer positions will remain open on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Interviews for applicants who have already submitted their applications have begun, and Khan hopes to get officers confirmed as soon as possible.
Featured Image: UMD Student Government Association Plaque. Photo by Stella Henretta.