Get Involved

Executive Council

The executive cabinet of the SGA consists of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The executive cabinet is the direct leadership of the Student Government Association. The SGA President serves on the Board of Regents as a voting member, to represent student opinion. The Vice President also serves as the Chairman of the Campus Activities Board. The Treasurer is in charge of managing the Student Government budget. Finally, the Secretary is responsible for maintaining the various branch minutes, attendance, correspondence, and various other tasks. The EC meets weekly to discuss important topics and handle any organizational business. It is also the responsibility of the EC to fill vacancies and provide direction to the various SGA branches.

Senate

There are four types of Senators within the Student Senate: Senator At-Large, Academic College Senator, Residential College Senator, and Freshman Senator. All Senate positions are required to maintain close contact with their constituent groups, and to represent their interest in Senate. It is also the responsibility of the Senators to conduct weekly office hours in the Center for Student Involvement, where they help with running the office. Senators have weekly meetings where they pass legislation, hear from some of the university administrators, and discuss pertinent issues. The Senate acts as the "voice" when making important decisions on campus.

If you are interested in applying to be an Executive member or Senator, see Applications for the appropriate application!

Within the Senate, there are several standing committees. Each of these standing committees is chaired by a Senate Chair. The standing committees are Election Ways & Means, Governmental Relations, University Affairs, and Publications and Literature. In addition to the standing committees there are two additional positions available, Webmaster and Chief of Staff. Each of the Chairs oversees a group of Senators, and the Chief of Staff oversees the Chairs. The following are short descriptions of each position:

Chief of Staff

This position is selected by and serves at the pleasure of the President. Their responsibilities range from President-to-President, but their main responsibility is to monitor the Senate Chairs and standing committee activities.

Election Ways & Means Chair

The purpose of this Chair is to conduct all elections and assist in any election violation conduct hearings. This Chair is also responsible for any legislation that is passed in Senate, as it should first be vetted for any mistakes, contradictions to previous legislation, or unconstitutional applications. This committee is also in charge of any Constitutional or By-Law reviews or changes.

Governmental Relations Chair

This Chair is responsible for coordinating any political advocacy efforts on behalf of the SGA. This chair is responsible for the Racers in Action program, and helps plan events relevant to that initiative. This position must have a strong interest in government and the inner workings of politics.

University Affairs Chair

This position is responsible for all student issues relevant to student life on campus, and then helping to provide solutions to those issues. Students interested in this position must be interested in student affairs, and helping students with problems ranging from parking ideas to suggestions for new foods in Winslow.

Public Realtions

This position is responsible for the publicity of events, elections, and other relevant items for the Student Senate. This can range from setting up information tables, running SGA social media, or creating banners for events to hang across campus. The main responsibility is to ensure the publicizing of all Senate events, through as many means as necessary.

Enrollment Management & Student Success Chair

The Enrollment Management and Student Success Senate Chair is tasked with getting students involved on campus and in student organizations. This role is also involved in recruitment and connecting with new freshmen at the university. The senate chair is in charge of Freshman Council and staying in touch with how the freshman experience has been for new students at Murray State.

Diversity & Inclusion Chair

This position is responsible for reporting and helping with any issues there might be in the diverse community on campus. The candidates mush have good understanding in the diverse community, and willingness to serve for them.

If you are interested in applying to be a Senate Chair, find the appropriate application on Applications!

The Campus Activities Board serves as the branch to plan programming on campus through a variety of different categories. The CAB, which is chaired by the SGA Vice President, has 12 different chairs that help plan and run the organization. A full description of each position is available on the "Branches" page, but the 12 chair positions are as follows:

• Homecoming/ Murray Madness

• Innovative Acts & Performances Chairs (2 positions)

• Membership Chair

• Ms. Murray State Scholarship Pageant Chair

• Publicity Chair (3 Positions)

• Residential College Association Chair

• Showcasing Chair

• Diversity Chair (2 Positions)

In addition to the CAB chairs that help plan and organize programming, there are additional positions known as CABbies. Cabbies are entry level positions that help with staffing the events. They provide help ranging from crowd control to event setup, all depending on the type of event planned. This is a great position for those interested in becoming a Chair at a later time, as they get to help with the events.

If you are interested in becoming a CAB Chair or CABbie, visit Applications for the appropriate application!

The Judicial Board acts as the Judicial Branch of the Student Government Association. The Judicial Board can hear cases pertaining to the SGA Constitution or Student Handbook. The Judicial Board more commonly hears appeals to parking violations on campus, and acts as the final say for parking appeals. There are the following positions available on the Judicial Board:

• Chief Justice (1)

• Associate Chief Justice (1)

• Associate Justice (5)

• Alternate Associate Justice (3)

If you are interested in becoming a Judicial Board Member, visit Applications for the appropriate application!

Content Coming Soon!

• SGA Executive Council/ Senator Application 

• Election Info

• Election Procedures & Requirements/ Campaign Guidelines & Offenses

The Student Government Association (SGA) will hold their annual elections one week prior to Spring Break in March from 12:01 am to 11:59 pm (48 hours) depending upon the determination of spring break in the University calendar. The election results will be kept confidential and monitored by the Election Ways and Means (EWM) Chair, Coordinator of Student Activities, and any SGA faculty and staff advisors until official announcement. The candidates will be able to inspect the results of the election following the announcement. All challenges to the elections, including campaign offenses, must be made in writing and presented to the Center for Student Involvement Office by 11:30am the day the results are announced. All questions regarding elections or campaigning should be brought to the Election Ways and Means Chair or the Student Government Association advisor.
All violations of election rules and procedures witnessed by or made aware to the CSI Office shall be reported to the EWM Chair/Committee for appropriate action. The Election Ways and Means Committee, under Article VII Section A of the Student Senate By-Laws, shall present the case to the Judicial Board, where the Judicial Board, under the Murray State University Student Government Association Election By-Laws, renders decisions.

SGA Election Procedures Document (PDF)

1. In order to run for or to serve in office, a student must meet all the qualifications set forth in the SGA Constitution, maintain a 2.7 on the 4.0 GPA scale for executive office candidates, and a 2.0 for all other senate candidates.

2. Candidates will be eligible to receive an SGA subsidy equal to one half of their campaign expenses, the total subsidy not to exceed $50 for executive office candidates, and $20 for senate candidates, excluding residential colleges.

3. In order to qualify for SGA subsidy of election costs, the candidates must turn in receipts and required receipt form (available from the SGA Vice President of Finance) of his/her election expenses to the SGA Vice President of Finance within one week of the election date.

4. The order that the candidates’ names appear on the ballot shall be determined by a random drawing of numbers at the first candidates’ meeting with the lowest number being first. 5) Each candidate, or their non-candidate representative (any person who is not a candidate for the same position as the person he/she is representing), must attend the first meeting. Failure to do so will result in that candidate’s withdrawal from the election.

1. In order to run for or to serve in office, a FRESHMAN student must meet all the qualifications set forth in the SGA Constitution, and maintain a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

2. Candidates will be eligible to receive an SGA subsidy equal to one half of their campaign expenses, the total subsidy not to exceed $20 for senate candidates.

3. In order to qualify for SGA subsidy of election costs, the candidates must turn in receipts and required receipt form (available from the SGA Vice President of Finance) of his/her election expenses to the SGA Vice President of Finance within one week of the election date.

4. The order that the candidates’ names appear on the ballot shall be determined by a random drawing of numbers at the first candidates’ meeting with the lowest number being first.

5. Each candidate, or their non-candidate representative (any person who is not a candidate for the same position as the person he/she is representing), must attend the first meeting. Failure to do so will result in that candidate’s withdrawal from the election.

1. A candidate may not change the office for which he/she has filed to run after the application deadline, which is set by the EWM Chair, has passed.

2. A candidate may notify the EWM Chair in writing if he/she plans to withdraw from the election.

3. Each candidate shall be responsible for the removal of their campaign materials within 48 hours of the closing of the polls, or result in complete loss of subsidy.

4. Chalking in any manner is prohibited.

5. The university reserves the right to remove, or have removed, any campaign material placed in a residential college that is attached in any way to the inside or outside of any residential college room, door, or window that is a potential safety or maintenance hazard or is deemed harmful/detrimental to the community, environment, or residential college.

6. No wall poster shall exceed 12 x 18 inches in dimension.

7. No table tent shall exceed 6 x 8 inches in dimension and must be approved by Food Services.

8. The use of microphones and/or loud speakers may be used in accordance with Building Use Policy and Outdoor Use Policy.

9. All campaign materials placed in university buildings shall be subject to each individual building’s policy.

10. Verbal campaigning of any kind in the University Libraries is prohibited. Posting campaign material in the University Libraries is subject to the policy of that individual building.

11. Posting of campaign signs or materials off campus grounds are subject to the City of Murray Code of Ordinances.

Destruction to University Property:

Each aggregate offense will result in a 10% vote reduction and complete loss of subsidy from SGA for the executive and senator at-large positions. Each aggregate offense will result in a 5% vote reduction for all academic senator positions. Destruction of University Property is not only limited to the following:

1. No stickers (adhesive backed material) shall be used during the election except when labels are securely affixed to items being distributed by a candidate (i.e. mailings, novelty items).

2. Any billboards, sandwich boards or banners used shall not be driven into the ground. They will be limited to the designated areas established by the EWM committee.

1. 1. The lawn area at the Southwest corner of Regents & White College by Payne Street

   2. The lawn area at the Southwest corner of Hart College along the sidewalk

Disruption of University Business:

The definition of disruption to University Business shall be the disruption of any activity or event occurring within a university building being conducted by a university organization, staff member, or student. Each aggregate offense will result in a 10% vote reduction and complete loss of subsidy from SGA for the executive and senator at-large positions. Each aggregate offense will result in a 5% vote reduction for all academic senator positions. Disruption of University Business is not only limited to the following: 1.) The use of megaphone and bull horns is expressly forbidden.

Disqualifiable Offenses:

The following offenses are punishable with disqualification from all positions elected during the current election period not to include positions appointed by the SGA or positions elected during a different time period. 1.) Each candidate, or their non-candidate representative (any person who is not a candidate for the same position as the person he/she is representing), must attend the first meeting. Failure to do so will result in that candidate’s withdrawal from the election. 2.) Formal Campaigning (posters, campaign speeches, letters to organizations, website posts, social media posts, and other digital presentation) may not begin until after the first candidate’s meeting. 3.) Documented proof that a candidate or candidate’s representative is or has engaged in a defamatory attack against another candidate running for office.