By Alexander Tucker-Boyd
 We’re
In This Together: Representing All Students On Your
Campus
 The 25 Worst Mistakes Your Student Government Can Make
 How to Make Students Care About Your Student Government:
Create “Signature Programs”
 Changing Agents
 Encourage
new students to run for student office.
 Have a mission statement so that people will be encouraged
to listen and become student leaders.
 Assure the students they have a voice.
 Networking and partnerships with companies help the
Student Government more well-known.
 Although students have different concerns, many students
have the same concerns.
A
successful Student Government knows that it represents
the Student Body, be a voice for the students, and provide
needed services and programs to the students.
 Find ways to get students to participate in campus activities.
 Assure the students that they have a voice.
 Email students about the events.
 Discuss issues such as the textbook policy on campus.
 Create partnerships with businesses in the community.
 Have evaluations about classes and professors.
 Paper
ballots
 Online voting
 Polling stations to vote on the computer
 Social media to campaign and get people interested in
voting.
 Partnering with companies that send reminders of elections.
 Having workshops on the voting process and the candidates
who are running.
 Not
focus on classes
 Spend too much time amending the constitution
 Reinventing the wheel and poor records
 Drinking at an event or in the office
 Being irresponsible with students’ money
 Not training the members
 Taking everything too personally
 Allowing gossip and negativity to fester
 Seeing
administrators as “The Bad Guy”
 Being isolated and not networking
 Failing to understand that Student Government exists to serve
 Not “picking your battles” carefully with campus administration
 Doing things in secret behind closed doors
 Failing to comply with college policies
 Not showing up or being prepared for committee meetings
 Failing to set realistic goals
 Treating staff and faculty like servants
 Focusing too much on activities and programming
 Taking action before surveying your students
 Not
following through
 Not planning for the future
 Going to the press or staging demonstrations
 Poor publicity and marketing
 Taking on too many projects
 Poor communication with students, faculty and staff
 Most
students either do not know about the Student
Government or they do not care, because they think it is
irrelevant.
 Great Student Governments advocate for students’ concerns
to their College Officials.
 To be relevant, we must produce a program that no one on
campus can or will provide, to be well-known and save
money that we make for the students.
 Student
Government Television Channel
 Safe Ride
 Movie Passes
 Clothes Closet
 Book Exchange
 Tax Service
 Taxi Service
 Munchie Truck
 Security Escort
 We
did exercises in which we sat in groups of two and
explained how we got our names and what they mean.
 Then we sat in groups of four and the conversation opened
up to people talking about their life experiences, then we
ended up talking about our favorite television shows and
everyone in the group transitioned from sadness to
happiness.
 Next we got into groups of eight people and people opened
up even more about their experiences in life.
 For the last exercise everyone in the room got into a large
circle and we stood up for statements that applied to us.
 It
takes time to effect change on campus and the Student
Government cannot rush things.
 Although student may not care about campus events, it is
important to find out what sparks the students’ interest so that
they will be encouraged to participate in the events and the
student leaders will be more encouraged to set up the events.
 Even
though there are differences among people, there are
many things that some of us stand for, and there are some
things that all of us stand for. We have more in common than
it seems.
 Students have to be encouraged and well informed about the
campus in order to get involved and become student leaders.
 Effective communication with students and faculty is
important so that everyone can work well together without
any misunderstandings.
I
will ask students personally what kind of events they are
interested in so I can bring it to the board, and what we can
do to get them more interested in events we put on that may
not be their cup of tea.
I
will work on a survey to give to the students to find out
what their interests are and what campus events they would
consider attending.