The Student Government Association passed a resolution implementing five voting freshman student representative positions into the SGA General Assembly. 

The resolution was introduced to the assembly on Jan. 13, 2022, and passed on Jan. 20, 2022. 

Before the freshman student representative positions, freshmen representation in SGA was limited to the First-Year Leadership Council (FYLC), which began in Spring 2021.

Erika Uebelhor, SGA attorney general and senior political science and psychology major, said, “When I started SGA, I was a freshman representative, and there were a lot of flaws with the position. We were all coming into our first semester on campus and really had no idea what we were doing.” 

“It felt like a lot to first come into, and so that’s why we created the First-Year Leadership position,” Uebelhor said. “So they could have training.” 

SGA president Anna Ardelean, a senior political science major, said, “Since it’s [FYLC] so new, we’ve been working with members asking them for anything that they thought we were doing well, and what they would like to change.”

“With discussing it, we decided that two semesters of First-Year Leadership Council would just be a lot,” Ardelean said. “And so we decided to create this position.”

According to the resolution, the freshman student representatives’ duties will take place in the spring semester only where they will maintain contact with constituents and various university departments. 

They will serve as representatives for all freshmen and first-year students by communicating with them throughout the semester and voting in the General Assembly. 

Freshman representatives must hold a minimum of two office hours and present a report to the General Assembly at least twice a month. 

First-year students interested in applying for the role can find the application on the SGA webpage. Applicants will be selected to interview with SGA vice president, David Bradley, before being questioned by the General Assembly. 

FYLC member Adrianna Garcia, a political science and philosophy major, said, “I think if you were on the council and you decide to become a first-year representative, or even if you weren’t in the council, it’s a great experience.”

Garcia said being a first-year representative will give freshman students the chance to form bonds with the more experienced SGA members as well as faculty on campus. 

“This role is specifically dedicated to speaking to freshmen students, figuring out what their concerns are,” Uebelhor said. “Hopefully, it really helps all first-year students on campus to be able to make their voice heard.”