For students that are looking to get civically involved on campus or for more leadership opportunities, Grand Valley State University’s student senate is the chance for students to develop their leadership skills and make lasting changes on campus.

Student senate is currently holding its 2016-17 elections for new and returning student senators and are calling upon all GVSU students to apply and get involved. Students do not have to be interested in politics or be political science majors to be involved with student senate.

“Student senate is just all about making Grand Valley a better place, we’re not politically affiliated,” said Ella Fritzemeier, vice president of public relations. “A lot of the work is about civic engagement and building better relationships with the community.”

Student senate is GVSU’s only student governing body and consists of 50 senators of all years, major and area of interests. Student senate is comprised of a cabinet and seven committees: Senate resources, finance, campus affairs, educational affairs, diversity affairs, external relations and public relations. Each senator is on a committee, and each committee deals with vastly different topics.

In the past, student senate’s educational affairs committee has worked on approving new academic minors, while the external relations committee has worked with Allendale community members to head up a project making 48th Avenue safer.

Currently, student senate is working on bringing an Army ROTC program to campus and creating a cultural student organization board to make it easier for cultural organizations to collaborate with each other, among other things.

When electing students to senate, Fritzemeier said that student senate looks at what students are passionate about and their past leadership roles as indicators of how well they would do on senate.

“It’s about what you want to accomplish,” she said. “Your passions about Grand Valley is the biggest part. We look for people who love being at Grand Valley that want to make a difference.”

Any student interested in running for student senate can print an election packet off of the student senate website or pick one up from the student senate office in Kirkhof Center Room 0040. Students must fill out the election packet, get 75 student signatures as well as two faculty signatures, have their picture taken in the office and return their packet to the office by March 21 to be eligible to be put on the ballot. Online, students can fill out a bio to introduce themselves, say why they’re running for office and to lay out their platform so people voting can support them.

If a student is appointed to student senate, they will be on the general body. After that, the cabinet elections take place, and then the cabinet will place the new general body onto different committees.

“I think it’s really important to get involved in the community because that’s how you figure out what you want to do with your life,” Fritzemeier said. “It’s a way of giving back to the community, instead of just going through the motions of being at Grand Valley. Being civically engaged just opens your mind a lot more to new possibilities of things you have never thought about.”

Voting for student senate will begin on March 27 and is open to any current student. Voting will end on April 2 and results will be announced on April 4.

For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/studentsenate.