EDITORIAL: SGA Executive Council elected by less than 1 percent of student body
On March 22, the UHCL Student Government Association (SGA) elected officials for its Executive Council. The process of SGA members submitting their written ballot was seemingly acceptable. However, the true concern lies in how many students are allowed to vote.
Based on the UHCL SGA Constitution, last updated Oct. 28, 2013, membership is broken up into two types: Student Organization Representatives and Student Representatives/Student Visitors.
The difference lies within the voting privileges. Student Organization Representatives are allowed to vote on all issues presented at SGA meetings including elections and allocation of university funds to organizations. Student Representatives and Student Visitors, however, are allowed to vote on everything except these topics.
As of Fall 2015, UHCL had 8,906 students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs. The number of recognized student organizations, as of Aug. 2015, is 81. This means there are only 81 Student Organization Representatives allowed in the SGA, as there is only one representative per organization.
With less than 1 percent of the entire student body represented during elections, it calls into question exactly how the UHCL SGA can truly be the voice of the students.
In fact, what is even more puzzling is how different the UHCL SGA operates as opposed to other nearby universities.
Three-Branch System
Unlike the University of Houston (UH), University of Houston-Downtown (UHD), University of Houston-Victoria (UHV), Texas Southern University (TSU) and Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), the UHCL SGA does not run on a three-branch system.
The three-branch system of government operates similarly to the U.S. government as it includes an Executive, Legislative and Judicial branch. Each branch oversees certain aspects of the SGA and keeps the organization checked and balanced.
For example, at TSU, the legislative branch consists of a Senate with “senators” who represent not only student organizations, but also each academic school and student-specified dorms and apartments.
While UHCL’s SGA does have student positions on university shared governance committees, which all students are allowed to apply for without being in a student organization, the three committees encompass a wide variety of topics. However, one SGA elected student representative may not be fully qualified to advocate for the multitude of topics discussed on one committee.
Election Voters and Methods
In addition, all five of these universities allow the entire student body to vote in SGA elections.
UHCL SGA, as previously mentioned, restricts election voting to Student Organization Representatives.
Meanwhile, TSU, UH and UHV use the technological advancement bestowed upon the 21st century to hold online voting for several hours, in order to receive as much student participation as possible.
UHCL, however, limits the voting period for its members to one hour on the specified election day, which is always held during one of its Tuesday meeting timeslots.
Student Organization Involvement Required
Currently, the main requirement to be an election-voting member of the UHCL SGA is being involved in a student organization. From there, a student must be internally voted within his or her organization to be the representative.
While on the surface this seems fair, the issue remains in the fact that voting for elections and fund allocations are held during the weekly one-hour Tuesday meetings.
This means, not only does a student have to be involved in an organization and named the representative, but he or she must also be available during that specific one-hour block.
Thus, students who have class, work and other primary responsibilities during that hour would not be able to attend the meetings.
Enrolled Student Population
While it could be presumed that the UHCL SGA is operated in a unique way because of student body size, the fact is the majority of the previously mentioned universities are roughly the same size as UHCL.
PVAMU has approximately 8,268 students enrolled. TSU stands at 9,700 students, while UHD and UHV have an enrollment size of around 14,262 and 4,604 respectively.
Why This Matters
UHCL, as of Fall 2014, is a four-year institution that houses both graduate and undergraduate students. As the campus continues to expand, with the potential for dorms and other facilities to be added, the student population will without a doubt increase.
While the election portion may seem unimportant, the fact is students’ opinions ultimately rest in the hands of the elected officials. It is up to those elected to advocate for the entire student body. However, how can this truly occur when there is only a hand full of executive council members elected by less than 1 percent of the current student body and membership in a student organization is a requirement?
As citizens of the United States, the right to vote was granted to all of us within the Constitution. As students attending a public university in the United States, we should be able to voice our opinions to any form of government without being apart of the designated 1 percent.
Change stems from a united body of people working together to advocate for what’s right. Share this message and contact your SGA Executive Council, the Student Life Office and the Dean of Students in order to voice your opinion on this issue.
