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.