With the fall semester approaching, the University of Minnesota’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) is laying the foundation for advocacy and policy work to be implemented during the academic year.
During the summer months, USG focused efforts on hiring, restructuring and preparing for a summer conference with other University student governments. At the start of the academic year, USG will refocus its work on Welcome Week activities, voting campaigns and partnerships with University administration.
Hiring processes and restructuring
President Rahma Ali said USG leadership spent the summer in transition — going through staff applications, interviews and onboarding for its executive director and director positions.
“It just allows a lot more of new perspectives to come into the organization so we can better serve our student body,” Ali said.
The executive director and director positions signal a structural change in how USG leadership has historically been organized, according to USG Vice President Clara Junemann.
Previously, directors oversaw their teams and interns were assigned in the spring semester. Rather than working, interns would spend the fall semester learning about USG.
Mariam Hassan, the chief of staff to the USG president, said in the past, interns held general roles and focused on learning about USG as an organization. This year, USG plans to involve interns more within the organization.
Junemann said bringing on executive directors and directors can create clearer positions for USG interns, who previously did not have specific roles.
This change will give interns the opportunity to work one-on-one with USG staff members to build skills, Junemann said. It will also make it easier for interns to attain higher-ranking USG positions in the future.
Junemann said intern applications and other voting roles will open at the beginning of August.
Welcome Week, voting advocacy and President Cunningham
Ali, who said her favorite part of September is Welcome Week, said USG will have an open-house event to meet with and educate new students about the organization and its advocacy.
“Being able to see students again is my number one excitement for now,” Ali said.
With the United States presidential election approaching, Junemann said USG’s Government and Legislative Affairs team will oversee the planning of an official campaign to encourage students to vote, similar to its 2022 Row the Vote campaign.
Junemann said USG will have tabling events to help students register to vote and give voter information during Welcome Week. Because USG is nonpartisan, its main effort is ensuring students know where and how to vote, particularly incoming first-year students.
“We’re all very excited for voting,” Junemann said. “I think having student voices when we vote is incredibly important. The University of Minnesota has always been pretty strong in voter outreach and we’ve done very well in the past.”
Ali said USG leadership met with President Rebecca Cunningham earlier this month to share their goals and priorities with her and her team going into Cunningham’s first academic year as president.
Open and continued communication between USG and University administration is integral to promoting student issues, Ali said. Ali and Junemann have advocated for increased lines of communication between students and administration since they were elected in March.
Association of Big Ten Students summer conference
In mid-August, members of USG will travel to Michigan State University to participate in the Association of Big Ten Students (ABTS) summer conference, according to Ali.
ABTS is an association of all 14 Big Ten University student governments aiming to increase communication and networking.
Ali said six members of USG will represent the University at the conference, including her, Junemann and Hassan, along with other members of USG’s presidential team and the Forum Board.
The conference provides a chance for USG leadership to talk with other student governments about what legislation they are working on or passing on their campuses, which is where Ali said USG gets some of its ideas.
“We’re pretty excited to go out and talk to students from across the nation, and just talk about our goals and what we’ve worked on previously,” Ali said.