2013-2014 SGA Officers Announced!

Elections for next year's Student Government officers were held from March 25-27.  For the first time, voting was carried out online via MyUnion and over a 24-hour span, which not only saved paper but also gave students more opportunities to vote from the comfort of their own computer!

The SGA officers for next year are:

President: Richie Mathes
VP of Student Development: Ruthanna Hart
VP of Business Affairs: Andrew Long
VP of Academic Affairs: Michael Davenport
VP of Athletics: Richard Meier
VP of Public Relations: Krista Tuta

Richie Mathes will begin his second term as President of Student Government along with Andrew Long as VP of Business Affairs.  We are excited with the new additions and feel like next year's leadership will yield some of the best results yet!  And we want to thank all the candidates on an excellent election year.  It was exciting to see everyone campaign and put posters around campus.

As always, if you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to let us know.

Student-Inspired Game A Success!

You may have noticed some suspicious activity going on around campus last week.  Certain students may have been looking behind their backs often, hiding next to buildings, or carrying around a foam Nerf dart.  Don't worry, it's not another zombie outbreak.  It was Spy vs. Spy.

Promotional poster for the game

Junior Dan Green had the idea behind the game while watching a show called Greek.  In a certain episode, they had a game called Man-Hunt which gave Dan the idea to try something new.  So using the show's episode as a base, Dan created his own game involving spies.  The game itself is comparable to the annual Humans vs. Zombies game organized by C.A.B.

The game was a great success and lasted for a week.  In all, 24 students participated in the innaugeral game.  Senior Wes Lamberson won the game at the end, and Dan said he'll receive a gift card as a reward.  Dan plans to organize the game again next Fall, and his goal will be to get 50 students to participate.  He's also been open to suggestions to make the game more fun including teams at the beginning and a bonus dart to any spy who can videotape their kill.

The great part about this game was that it was created and managed by students.  Dan took a risk, and in the zero-tolerance-for-failure world we live in, it was rather encouraging to see a fellow student try something new.  I hope in the future, more students take advantage of their resources to be creative and have fun.

Election time already?

Is it already that time of the year again?  It feels like this school year has flown by.  It's been a pleasure to serve you this semester as your Vice President of Athletics, and I know the rest of the officers will say the same about their positions.  From trying to further improve the Lakeside area of campus, to helping out with the Inauguration Ball in April, it's been an exciting and busy year for all of us.  But now it's time we look to next year.

Elections for next year's SGA will be coming up soon.  Applications for each position went out on Friday, and will be due March 4th to the Dean of Students, Stephanie Smith.  You should have also received an email from Caitlin Scheidt with a PDF attachment of the application.  They are not complicated and shouldn't take a lot of time to fill out, at least not like the graduate school applications I'm having to fill out right now (talk about time consuming!). 

While trying to decide if you want to run or not, consider the following benefits of being an SGA officer:

• Great experience for your resume
• You build leadership and teamwork abilities, two important skills needed for post-college life
• It is a paid position (yes, you get money!)
• Interaction with the senior staff and administration of Union College

For me personally, this is something which has helped me understand that not everyone thinks as I do. Future employers want people who can work together to overcome differences.  Many times in our executive meetings we have disagreed with each other on various topics, which is okay, but we've had to work together to get things done.  And if you're concerned about time commitment, I wouldn't worry too much about it.  This year, I've juggled my SGA responsibilities with CAB, workstudy with the Bulldog Sports Network, a Senior research project, and class.  As crazy as it sounds, it can be done.

So I encourage you to think about running.  I firmly believe the pros out-weigh any cons with SGA, and it's a valuable experience to have in college.

President's Piece: NKU Leadership Conference

What does Cincinnati chili, the Harlem Shake, Kentucky's Secretary of State, and Union College's SGA have in common? They all were present on our trip last weekend to the Kentucky Collegiate Leadership Conference at Northern Kentucky University. This conference is the first of it's kind that Union SGA has been a participant of in recent history. Brittany Burchfield (Vice President for Student Development), Andrew Long (Vice President for Business Affairs), and I hoped to find inspiration and feedback on how we can best serve students. While I still have not mastered the Harlem Shake, I do have some new ideas on how we can best serve you.

The first idea is to have a 24 hour study space. This space will be reserved for people who have late night study habits, need access to printers, and just a quiet space to meditate. Currently, no such space is available on campus.

The second idea is to have WiFi access for printers. This would allow students to have wireless connection from campus printers to their personal computers. Students would not have to worry about saving their work on a flash drive or e-mailing themselves to re-open files on a computer and print them in an academic building.

The third idea is to create a syllabus database for student access. This would allow students to view course information and teaching styles in choosing courses.

Union is also leading the way to create a Kentucky Council of Private Student Governments. This would allow student leaders from across Kentucky to communicate on important issues, and to share ideas in building stronger colleges and universities. We hope to continue fostering relationships with our colleagues, and we will continue working hard on behalf of students.

P.S. Try the three-way at Gold Star Chili, it is my favorite. Why don't we have one on Union's Campus?!

New archway to grace the front of campus

A couple of weeks ago, you may have noticed a tweet we posted on our Twitter account with the image of a new archway.  We are excited to announce that this archway will be built at the front of campus!

The artist rendition of the archway design

The location of the archway will be at the intersection of the sidewalk along College Street and the Legacy Walk.  The purpose of this archway is to help improve the campus image, especially at the front where most people visit.  This will be one of the first things incoming students see at Union College.  Also, freshman will pass under this archway during their C.I.R.C.L.E.S. ceremony, and senior graduates will also pass through it during their graduating ceremonies.

Going off this image, the archway will be traditional yet modern at the same time.  The goal is for the archway to be completed before Inauguration week in April.  So after seeing the image, what are your thoughts? 

Hello World!

Greetings!  You've successfully found the new blog site for the Union College Student Government Association.  Hopefully, this will become one of the premier places for news about you.  That's right, YOU.  We are creating this blog to show what students are doing and achieving here at Union College.

We have floated the idea of having our own website for awhile but have been unable to find a way to best represent both ourselves and you.  However, with just a simple click on our Twitter, Facebook, or Email, we'll make sure to give you the easiest access to what we have to say.

Included in this blog will be weekly wrap-ups about every SGA meeting, features on special projects, spotlights on Clubs and Organizations, Sports, and other things that matter to you.  If you have suggestions to help improve this blog, we will be open to anything you have to say.  This is just another way to let your voice be heard!