DAN QUAGLIANA
Staff Writer
Photo by Drew Paluch | Photo Editor
Every student, as part of their tuition bill, pays $100 as part of the student activity fee. This is used to fund student-run clubs on campus. But who decides how much money each club receives?
That power falls to the Student Association (SA), the organization that is tasked with representing student interests.
Each class (freshman, sophomore, etc.) elects a class president, and then one class representative for every one hundred students in that class. For example, if there are 583 freshmen, the freshman class will elect one class president and five class representatives.
In order to run in an election, you must declare your candidacy. An email will be sent out by the Student Association at the end of August with instructions on how to do this. You can fill out a Google Form or sign your name in the declaration book in the Student Association office, located in room S226A-B in the Williams Center.
It is the duty of elected class presidents and representatives to attend the weekly SA meetings to vote on business that is brought up before the assembly. This can include bills, legislation or resolutions brought to SA by the campus community. These meetings are on Thursdays in McEwen G24 at 6 p.m., and all students, faculty and staff members are able to attend.
The four class presidents, as well as the SA president and vice president, also automatically become voting members of University Senate, the governing body on campus. This directly enables students to have a voice equal to that of professors and faculty members when dealing with matters of academic policy.
Student Association’s main responsibility is coordinating and regulating the economic activity of student clubs. To more easily facilitate this, SA recognizes clubs in a tier system. In increasing order of responsibility, the tiers are: endorsed, provisional, acknowledged, chartered and constituted. When a new club is formed, it is automatically recognized as an “endorsed” club. To move up a tier, clubs must hold a certain number of campus events, and in return, they get more money to use.
At the end of every Spring semester, SA and constituted club representatives meet for GA Day, which is where the budget for constituted clubs for the upcoming academic year is decided. When a non-constituted club needs money for a conference or event, they can request it from the appropriate financial account. SA representatives will then vote on whether to release the money or not. This must be done on a need-by-need basis — clubs can’t request money just to hold on to it.
There is also a Student Association executive board, just like with every other club. You do not need to be a class representative to be on the E-board, although this is often the case. The E-board is tasked with running the meetings and making sure representatives are completing their obligations. Being a class representative does not automatically ensure you have a position on the E-board.
Aside from the E-board, there are also a number of committees that students can join. Again, you don’t have to be a class representative to join these. The most important committees are the Budget and Rules committees, but there’s other ones that deal with things from community relations to environmental sustainability.
Student Association also manages the campus and community shuttle bus. The bus stops at multiple points on campus, as well as points of interest around town, such as Walmart, the T.J. Maxx plaza and Fredonia High School. It reaches every destination roughly every hour, but it’s best to consult the online schedule for specific times. You can also schedule specific pick-up and drop-off times and locations, but this requires coordination with the driver.
If you’re looking to get more involved on campus, Student Association is the place to do it! It’s the best opportunity to make a real difference and positively impact other students’ experiences at Fredonia.
Dan Quagliana, the author of this article, is currently the president of the Class of 2025.