Greetings, Jackrabbits. My name is Hayden Bentz, and I serve as your Students’ Association vice president.
I would like to personally welcome you back to campus following what I hope was an enjoyable and restful summer. The Students’ Association is the official student government of South Dakota State University. Every SDSU student is a member of the Students’ Association. You are welcome to attend our weekly meetings held in the Lewis and Clark Room of the Student Union on Mondays at 7 p.m. Our first meeting of the semester will be Sept. 9.
The Students’ Association seeks to advocate for the needs of students and represent them across multiple venues. These include meeting regularly with SDSU administration, staff and faculty, administration of the City of Brookings, and the South Dakota State Legislature. Past accomplishments of the Students’ Association include providing refunds to students on their meal plans, advocating for increased access and funding for mental health resources for students, and preventing increases to students’ tuition costs through a tuition freeze passed by the South Dakota State Legislature.
Students choose who will represent and advocate for them through a general election which is held each spring. Every academic college of SDSU is represented in the Students’ Association Senate, which is the legislative body of the Students’ Association. Additionally, students have the opportunity to represent their peers through a Senator At-Large selection process, which occurs when Senate seats are unfilled following the general election. Following last year’s general election, Senate seats remained open, meaning students can apply to be a Senator At-Large.
As a Senator At-Large, you would not only represent your respective academic college but the student body as a whole. Your role is to advocate for the interests and needs of every Jackrabbit on our campus through policy initiatives that are meaningful to you. You may see something on campus that you want to change. As a Senator, you have the power to advocate for that very change. You may also want to provide input on current university projects or policies. Serving as a Students’ Association Senator provides a unique opportunity to directly impact these items and provide valuable student input. Such perspectives affect not only current students but future Jackrabbits as well, improving the student experience at SDSU.
Your influence is not just limited to the campus of SDSU. Student perspectives are highly valued in the City of Brookings and the State of South Dakota. Serving as a Senator At-Large shows that your peers have entrusted you to advocate for their needs and as such, provides you with the opportunity to represent them at various levels of our local and state government. Advocating for the needs of SDSU students within our government can create lasting change for your peers.
As a freshman student at SDSU, I joined the Students’ Association Senate through this very At-Large selection process. I had a passion to advocate for my peers and make my university a better place for students to attend. That passion led me to take out a petition to become a Senator At-Large, a decision that I still consider to be one of the best I have ever made. My time serving the student body of SDSU has been a fulfilling and worthwhile commitment, and I look forward to continuing that service in the year to come. If you wish to be “The Voice of the Students” and represent your peers, I highly encourage you to take out a petition to become a Senator At-Large.
If you are interested in becoming a Senator At-Large, please send me an email at [email protected] expressing your interest. Upon receipt of your email, I will follow up with the necessary petition information. Petitions are open as of Aug. 26 and will be due on Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. Following successful completion of your petition, you will receive an interview with the Students’ Association board of directors, who will nominate candidates to be confirmed by the Students’ Association Senate Sept.16 at our regularly scheduled Senate meeting. Positions as a Senator At-Large are open to any SDSU student, regardless of their class, academic college or major. Further requirements to be a Senator At-Large and information about Students’ Association can be found on our website, SDState.edu/Students-Association.
