The University of Northern Colorado Office of Student Senate held a meeting on Wednesday to provide information for prospective candidates running for a position in the 2019-2020 school year. Election Commissioner and Parliamentarian Tammy Ortiz lead the meeting as she discussed the guidelines, expectation and marketing strategies on the campaign trail to Student Senate hopefuls.
In order to run, candidates are required to have a minimum 2.5 GPA and an abundance of time. Once elected, all positions must actively attend three separate on-campus club meetings per month, attend all Student Senate ran activities and as a senator they must have at least four office hours available for student access per week. However, cabinet members —including Student Body President, the Student Trustee, the Director of Student Affairs and the Director of Finance— are required to have 10 office hours open to students per week.
Candidates are able to run for senate or cabinet positions. Student Senate is composed of 15 senators and four head cabinet members. There are three paid senator positions for each college: the College of Natural and Health Sciences, the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Monfort College of Business and the College of Performing and Visual Arts. Senators are paid $1000 each semester. The cabinet positions are paid $3000 per semester.
The first step in the election process is to fill out the online application packet. In order to be on the ballot, a candidate must gather 50 signatures from enrolled students on campus at UNC. While the minimum number of signatures is 50, Ortiz highly recommends getting at least 60 to 75 signatures in case some student names are illegible.
These signatures are due at 5 p.m. Friday, March 1 at the Office of Student Life. The following Wednesday at 5 p.m. the office will announce the candidates.
Once successfully on the ballot, candidates are able to campaign to their pleasing. However, there are some do’s and don’ts on campaigning. While campaigning, students cannot hang campaign flyers wherever they please without permission. Candidates also can’t spend over $500 of personal money on the campaign. For other rules on campaigning, students can contact Ortiz.
Ortiz said she encourages certain campaigning techniques. These include making buttons or T-shirts to hand out, actively speaking with different clubs and organizations on campus, personally handing out flyers or tabling at the University Center or McKee Hall Breezeway.
Any questions or concerns regarding the ballot or campaigning can be directed towards Ortiz at [email protected].
The 2019 election packets can be found here.
