Hey everybody, this is Eric Renslo, your ASUCD Elections chair for the 2013-14 school year. If you are reading this, then it is not too late for you to run for Senate; in fact, you’re ahead of the schedule!
Petitions come out at 10:00 a.m. next Tuesday, Oct. 15. You will have until 4 p.m. the following Tuesday, Oct. 22, to collect 125 signatures from other undergraduate students. Be sure to collect a few extra signatures in case there are duplicates or some of the entries are illegible. Once you collect 125 signatures and agree to abide by our election codes, you will appear on the ballot for ASUCD Senate. It’s that easy!
And no, you don’t have to be a political science major. ASUCD loves political science majors; however, students from other majors greatly increase our diversity of thought. Engineering, science and music majors are just as encouraged to run for Senate as any other student.
There are many great reasons to run for Senate. First, our student government has an $11.8 million budget. Senators approve the budget yearly and influence where our money is allocated.
Second, senators see important legislation that affects other students. Senate meetings are frequently filled with many people voicing opinions to their student representatives. By running for Senate, YOU have the opportunity to be that student representative!
Lastly, it is a great work experience to talk about with future employers. Being a senator signals that you are a leader, an advocate for students, and able to communicate well with others. This may be the final time you have such an incredible opportunity to demonstrate all of these traits at once, unless, of course, you become a politician.
A reason that people conjure up for not running is that the pay is low. To be fair, $49/week won’t allow you to be “poppin’ bottles.” But that money can pay for your weekday lunch the entire time you are on Senate.
Being a student representative is not about the money. It’s about standing up for issues you believe in, accomplishing things you would not have done otherwise, and having fun at your weekly Thursday night Senate meetings. The money is just a bonus.
You should really consider taking out a petition and running for Senate if you made it this far. Any undergraduate student, first-years included, can run for Senate (unless you are on academic probation).
Browse through daviswiki.org/ASUCD to view the craziness that is our student government. Check out elections.ucdavis.edu to get an idea of where you could be in just a few weeks. And after you are convinced to run for Senate, take out a petition from SGAO on the third floor of the Memorial Union, room 348, starting at 10:00 AM on Oct.15. Give it a shot!
ERIC RENSLO is a senior political science major currently applying to law school. When he is not furiously refreshing his LSAT score report page, he can be reached for questions at emrenslo@ucdavis.edu.
