Every student vote counts

SDSU Collegian Staff

If students want to have their voices heard, there is one place they can always go and state their opinions — the Students’ Association.

Also known as SA, this student government body represents all 12,557 students on campus. Coming up next week from March 24 to 25, they will hold their election, which takes place every spring semester for the following academic year. 

Each student vote matters. By voting for this year’s senate, you are showing that you care about South Dakota State University and what goes on. It will affect not only your time here on campus, but future students as well. 

We all pay a lot of money to attend classes, go to sporting events, and generally make ourselves successful students at SDSU with a complete college experience. The Students’ Association is the go-to place to talk to your fellow student representatives which leads to actually seeing the changes on campus that you want.

SA makes sure everyone has a voice and bridges the gap between administrators and students. 

The Monday Morning Message, which started this school year, is one of the many things SA implemented on campus. The MMM is a weekly email sent out by the Students’ Association President every Monday. It informs students of the happenings on campus and what they should be on the lookout for. 

Each Monday, SA holds a meeting in The Union. Students are welcome to take a seat and listen in on the meetings. They put forth resolutions, ordinances and amendments; approve constitutions for campus organizations and vote on issues related to the general well-being of SDSU.  While the Students’ Association doesn’t necessarily have the final say, they do have a direct impact on administrative decisions. 

By keeping updated with what SA is doing, students can learn about important issues such as The Wellness Center Expansion, parking changes, the General Activity Fee and much more. These are all things directly impacting student life, and more importantly, the General Activity Fee is money that comes out of every student’s pocket each year. Don’t you want to know where your money is going and have a say in who is deciding what to do with it?

They have committees for each one of the major concerns on campus. In addition to representing each one of the colleges on campus, several organizations have representatives sitting on the Senate including BSA, HEROH, Greek Life and various other diverse campus groups. 

The students on SA are just like anybody else. They pay the same tuition, attend the same classes and are looking for the same experience as every other student on campus. They represent each one of us. 

It is a lot easier to approach your fellow student representative than it is to approach an administrator. If you’re going to be represented by these students, you might as well have a say in who is going to be sitting in that seat. 

So please, go vote next week and make sure your voice is heard.