Meeting new people and making new friends at college can sometimes be difficult at first if you aren't coming into a team or club. New college students often get homesick, especially if they aren’t met immediately with a support system as they enter their new home for the next few years. Student government might be a chance to change that.
Geneva College Freshman Class President, Curtis Thomas, was asked why he wanted to join student government. He was quick to answer, “I wanted to be the voice of the freshman class of Geneva College, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to know the people at my school.”
Make Connections and help the Community
Student government is a great opportunity to make connections with people who are motivated by service to others. Besides being a great social experience, nabbing a position in student government is a great extracurricular activity, and it also gives students an opportunity to serve the college and community and to bring new events to the college. This role is not a simple position used to boost a resume; it should be considered a duty and responsibility of those willing to represent the students of the college and in the community.
Help others become more social
Part of the student government’s job is to make starting college for new students a little less scary so they can open up, make friends, and feel like their college is their new home. Student government will often play a role in “breaking the shell” off the new freshmen, allowing them to be themselves at college. One way to make this happen is events. Some of these events happen during the first week, including fun games or activities that serve as ice-breakers for students to connect and form bonds.
Build your experience/resume
Participating in student government can teach you more about yourself, your goals and strengths, as well as how to use them. Student government also allows you to get practical experience while earning your degree. This preparation can give you an upper hand on other applicants when applying for jobs or graduate school. Finally, when you win a position for your student government, you are immediately accepted into a group of some of your college’s smartest and hardest working upperclassmen, who are willing to provide you with tips and experiences, allowing you to live up to your entire potential.
Learn Finances/ Real World Skills
Student government also gives the student an opportunity to discuss finances and develop a skill for financing and budgeting that is applicable in the real world. Sometimes, when students get out of high school or their undergraduate degree, they still do not have skills that they will need to know for their life as an adult. Student government gives this insight into how to handle money in a responsible manner to use for an event or fundraising. These skills will transfer into the student’s future life when they must begin budgeting their personal money or in their roles as managers and leaders in organizations. The experience also teaches leadership skills in our American federalist system, which has civil functions at various levels.
Therefore, whether it is for social connections, community engagement, to better learn about yourself and others, to develop life and leadership skills or all of the above, every undergraduate student should consider running in their next student government election. You can have a say in making college some of the best years of your life and the lives of your classmates.
If you are interested in joining student government, find your college’s class representative and discuss different options about joining with them. To learn more about Geneva College, contact our Admissions Office at 800-847-8255 or admissions@geneva.edu.
-William Perry ‘23
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
Mar 13, 2020
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