The Marshall University student body will vote soon for senators from their respective colleges and who will serve as the new vice president and president of the Student Government Association (SGA).  

Each respective college at Marshall University gets four senators to represent that college, with some colleges having five senators depending on its size. Meanwhile, the vice president and president represent the student body as a whole on a higher level. The vice president oversees the senate meetings and is also the president of the senate overall. 

Being the student body president has more responsibilities than one might thnk at first according to Matt James.  

“The student body president is a very powerful position” James said. “The student body president serves as the student representative on the board of governors. So, she (Alyssa Parks) currently holds one of the very few seats that make all the decisions when it comes to hiring a president, changing our meal plan policy, or anything as small as giving recommendations for landscaping and the committees on campus.” 

James currently serves as the assistant dean of Student Affairs and has been involved with SGA for 18 years. In 2008 and 2009, he was student body president and is now an executive advisor for SGA. He went on to explain why SGAs overall are so important to colleges across the U.S.  

“For most students, SGA is just a fluff club,” James said. “They don’t do anything. Or they’re a joke, right? And they’re not. They’re a serious group of students that are focused on solutions for the school.” 

SGA also makes sure that clubs and organizations on campus have access to funding according to Senator Zack Kincaid. Kincaid serves as a senator for the College of Business and is currently the sergeant of arms.  

“Our number one priority… is to ensure that clubs have proper funding for events,” Kincaid said.