We have gotten used to the traditional voting process at the end of each year to choose our SGA executives for the coming year. Going to chapel on election day was always a new experience, listen to new ways of delivering their vision for the office they choose.
Now we will have a hiring team made up of 11 students and 9 faculty or staff members. Within this team there will be a representative from nearly every department on campus, ranging from the Director of Student Engagement, the editor of the ECHO, and a student leader from the School of Music.
Along with the new hiring team, there is a new process to the hiring, since there is a need for the team. There are still applications for those who wish to be an SGA executive and will be evaluated based on their qualifications.
Candidates will be given a score and the candidate with the highest score for each office will be hired for the position. Many variables go into this score, such as group interviews and individual interviews.
SNU students still have a voice in this process: instead of taking a chapel to have the candidates show off their goal for the office, there will be a fair. The candidate fair will showcase each candidate and allow the entire student body to voice their own opinion. After the fair students will scan their IDs to receive an email with the link to vote.
After the voting happens is when the interviews start which are the final steps before the final SGA executive council is chosen. The group interviews come first, and at the end of those, there is a round of cuts to allow them to know which candidates get final interviews.
The hope of this new process is to allow all students the opportunity to be in SGA if the chose to take the opportunity. In the past it has mostly been a popularity contest and/or a comedy contest.
The new process will be based on many new factors, such as involvement, qualifications and voting. With a well-rounded selection process, it will open the door for many students to consider being on the Student Government Association when they might not have before with the selection being based on the vote alone.
Dannah Stelting, the Director for Student Engagement, says “We’re excited about this positive change and we believe this new process will help us continue to provide the very best leadership in SGA.”
For more information on the new process, or how to apply, click here.
(Photo Courtesy of SGA)