There are a lot of ways to get involved on campus. For a school tucked away upstate, we have a lot to offer and sometimes that can be tricky. College classes are tough enough and trying to fit in socially can seem near impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. Once you begin the journey of socializing as a young adult, you realize it’s not as scary as your mind made you think, but where to begin might seem scary.
With multiple clubs, sports teams and a handful of Greek life organizations, it can be hard to choose. Xaviana Blunt, a fourth-year Black studies and psychology double major, who is the president of the Student Association (SA) was kind enough to sit down with The Oracle to explain how the organization is run, and how someone might be able to get involved.
What’s interesting about the SA is that it’s actually a 501c nonprofit business, which was done to create additional structure. The organization is composed of multiple branches that provide checks and balances. This is where we see the Council of Organizations, Student Senate and the Executive Board.
“Whenever people ask what we do, I’m always like, what don’t we do, because that’s so hard to pinpoint. I guess the best way is that all of us in our own right are student advocates, and we’re always consistently advocating for students, how to make the campus better. How can we make the student experience better overall?” Blunt explained. Blunt told The Oracle that one of her favorite parts of the organization is the different channels that allows her and other students involved to explore beyond their own disciplines.
The club is great for getting involved with the community, networking and advocacy. “All of this is student-led, which is what is so amazing about Student Association because it’s kind of for us by us,” Blunt added. It’s a great opportunity to get involved if you want to work alongside administration and if you’re passionate about solving issues.
Also, the Executive Board has monthly meetings with the President’s cabinet, so there are multiple opportunities for networking.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Governance, Kerry Hernandez, announced in an email on Sept. 15 that multiple senate positions remained open and were looking for people to apply. Since that email was sent out, there were over 30 applicants. Although not every student will have the opportunity to be a part of the Senate, there are opportunities to get involved with the SA, whether that’s through being a club’s representative for the Council of Organizations or the multiple committees SA organizes like the Faculty Senate, Academic Affairs, Educational Technology, Sustainability and Scholarships and Chancellors Awards Committees.
Regardless of getting involved with the organization itself, the members want all students to come to them as a resource. “We’re human first and students second. It can feel very official, but at the end of the day, we’re all students,” said Blunt. “We’re all kinda complaining about the same thing.”
