Ithaca College

Get involved with student government! The Student Governance Council (SGC) is looking for students interested in joining the Senate. Read the article to learn more about the process and what positions are open in the Senate!

Please note that SGC will be operating remotely for fall 2020 in order to ensure that all students are able to participate. 

Who is qualified to be on the Student Governance Council?

Undergraduate students who are registered for at least 6 credits, have a minimum GPA of 2.5, and are in good judicial standing are able to be on the Student Governance Council.

Graduate students who have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and are in good judicial standing are able to be on the Student Governance Council, no credit requirement.  

What Does a Senator Do?

As a representative of the student community, senators collaborate with one another to draft recommendations to advocate and improve the student experience at Ithaca College. For a more in-depth look at the responsibilities of an SGC senator, please refer to Article IV, Section 5 of the Student Governance Council Constitution which can be found on Engage.

What positions are open for the 2020-2021 academic year?

In order to run for a seat on the Student Governance Council, you must be a representative of that seat’s community. For example, in order to be a Class of 2021 Senator, you must be graduating with the class of 2021 (For more information about membership requirements, please refer to Article IV, Section 3 of the Student Governance Council Constitution). 

 Currently, we are seeking the following positions:

• (1) Class of 2021 Senator

• (1) Class of 2022 Senator

• (2) Class of 2024 Senators

• (1) Roy H. Park School of Communications Senator

• (1) School of Health Science and Human Performance Senator

• (1) School of Business Senator

• (1) Transfer Senator

• (1) Varsity Athlete Senator

• (1) Club Athlete Senator

• (1) Off-Campus Senator

• (1) Graduate Senator

What are the next steps to running for a seat on the Student Governance Council? 

1. Email our Senate Chair, Abigail Murtha, at sgcsenatechair@ithaca.edu to inquire about an election packet and what position you are running for. 

2. Fill out the election packet, which includes providing three recommendations (either written or video recorded) from students within your seat’s community. For example, if you are running for the Park School Senator, you would need three recommendations from other Park School students.

3. Send the completed election packet to sgcsenatechair@ithaca.edu. 

4. Prepare a brief introductory speech including information about yourself and what you plan to do should you be confirmed as a senator. You will give this speech at our upcoming Senate meeting on Monday, August 24th, at 7 pm via Zoom (you will receive the Zoom information at a later date). 

5. After each candidate’s speech, there will be a Q&A portion where members of SGC will ask you questions.

6. There will be a discussion portion between members of SGC and then we will vote to either confirm or deny each candidate running for a seat on SGC.

7. If you are confirmed, you will officially be a member of the Student Governance council (pending good judicial and academic standing). 

Any questions, comments, or concerns about this process can be addressed to Abigail Murtha at sgcsenatechair@ithaca.edu or Connor Shea at sgcpresident@ithaca.edu. 

We look forward to having you in the Senate.

Thank you,

Your Student Governance Council Executive Board 

Connor Shea, President of the Student Body

Yetunde Smalls, Vice President of Campus Affairs

Soumyaa Joshi, Vice President of Academic Affairs

Shevori Gene, Vice President of Communications

Abigail Murtha, Senate Chair

Alexandria DeVita, Chief of Staff

Kalena Yearwood, Student Trustee

Connor Watson, Student Liaison to the Alumni Board