The Student Government Association of Worcester Polytechnic Institute exists as the voice of the entire student body to encourage and facilitate communications between that body and the WPI community. The purpose of the SGA is to improve the quality of student life both academically and socially by addressing student needs and concerns, providing the fiscal structure of student clubs and organizations, and representing the students in a professional manner.
In addition to our Executive Board, consisting of a president, VP, secretary, and treasurer, we have a 31-student senate, made up of 14 on-campus senators, 14 off-campus senators, and 3 at-large-senators. This means that the on-campus student population elects 14 representatives, likewise for the off-campus population, and 3 additional senators, chosen by the entire student body in a separate election, can live on- or off-campus. Meetings of the Senate are open to everyone - that includes you! We run our meetings in an organized fashion, according to Robert's Rules of Order, but we give anyone the opportunity to speak when the time is right.
Most of the Senate's work is done "in committee" - we have five standing committees:
Committee on Academic Issues (CAI)- researches new academic initiatives as they emerge within the community, obtains information regarding student body opinion, and forms recommendations for the Senate to approve;
Committee on Student Life Issues (CSLI)- researches and investigates issues affecting the quality of student life on the campus, such as food quality, residence hall life, and safety concerns, and solicits student opinions regarding such issues to determine what action, if any, should be taken for the approval of the Senate;
Elections Committee- responsible for all SGA and Campus Hearing Board elections;
Policies and Procedures- interprets the SGA Constitution and by-laws, reviews every proposed amendment to the by-laws, and makes recommendations on constitutionality.
Public Relations- serves as the information conduit for SGA, develops calendars, bulletin boards, window displays, flyers, etc, all with the objective of keeping the WPI Community informed.
Ad-hoc Committees- formed as needed to deal with major issues of importance to the WPI Community
Each senator is responsible for serving on two committees and for holding two office hours each week. Our office, located on the first floor of Daniels Hall, is open weekdays from 9AM to 4:30 PM. In our office, you'll find a variety of services available to you - we have a photocopier, course reserve materials, and a change machine, as well as information such as meeting agendas and minutes, and updates on what we're up to.
Remember - YOU are just as much of a member of the Student Government Association as any other undergraduate on this campus, but how you choose to use that membership is up to you. Use it wisely - GET INVOLVED!