The busyness of college life makes it difficult to keep up with all the activity happening around Baylor’s campus. Unfortunately, this means many students are unaware of how their Student Government impacts their experience at Baylor. Some students wonder: is Student Government just political science majors cosplaying as politicians, or are students’ representatives actually doing meaningful work?
Baylor’s Student Government is modeled after the United States government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. However, Student Government’s legislative branch is only a senate. These senators are elected by the class they represent. The Senate is where most of the tangible work originates. Here, the most common way Student Government helps the student body is by providing funding for events. This money comes from the Student Government Allocation Fund (SGAF), which began with around $380,000 in funds this year. The SGAF can be used to subsidize student events like Howdy, for example. Another feature of the Student Senate is its various committees. These committees, such as Campus Improvements and Affairs (CIA) or Public Relations (PR), help organize projects.
Last year, some of the most notable projects included CIA leading a project to improve lighting on campus, PR creating suggestion boxes, and Academic Affairs (AA) renovating the lobby of Sid Richardson. Current Senator and chair of the AA committee Jaclyn Ebeling said one of the Senate’s biggest allocations this year was for creating a cycle studio in the Student Life Center (SLC) by converting one of the racquetball courts.
However, Student Government’s impact does not just come from the Senate. The executive branch which includes the External Vice President, Student Body President, and their respective cabinets, has its own projects. Landon Self, the current Student Body President, ran on the promise to bring back an airport shuttle for students. This shuttle launched before Thanksgiving break and will offer rides to and from the DFW airport for Winter Break with tickets only costing $35. Self said that this is the project he is most proud of so far this year. “We were able to provide a needed service to the students and I’m very proud of our team for working hard on this,” Self said.
In addition to funding and projects, Student Government advocates for students in administrative settings. Senator Ebeling stated, “We can be a voice and a bridge between students and faculty and staff. … We’re thankfully at a university that the staff and faculty respects students, and they really respect Student Government..”
Self emphasized, “Student Government can do a lot for the student body. … We can advocate for our peers in areas that other people can’t. … We get into spaces and get to not only lead, but we get to represent and advocate for the voices and opinions of our peers.”
When asked what they wished students knew about Student Government, Self said, “I wish people knew about the heart behind Student Government, that we are motivated, that we are passionate, that we have ideas, we are thinking of ideas on a regular basis, and we are constantly striving… to deliver results for our peers.”
Students looking to become more aware of Student Government activities can follow their Instagram account, @bustugov, which regularly posts about upcoming events, projects, and initiatives.
Students of all majors are always welcome to get involved in Student Government. There are a variety of positions available, including some that do not require an election or campaigning. Student Government is a great way for students to become involved in Baylor and make their voices heard.