Elections will be held Tuesday for Student Association Senate and class presidents.
This year is the first that freshman, sophomore and junior class presidents will be selected, SA Attorney General Aaron Rice said.
“What they do is, the class presidents appoint a class council, which includes a class vice president, I think a class treasurer and any other positions they deem necessary,” he said. “Their duties are to fundraise and make preliminary plans for a major gift to be donated by their class”
Past class gifts to the school include many of the fountains and other features around campus. Previously, the only class with a president was the senior class, but now, classes will have four years to raise money and plan for their gifts instead of just one, he said.
The senior class president for this year, Elisha Blades, was elected last year with the SA executive officers but in the future will be elected with the Senate, he added.
Forms of intent are due Friday at noon in the SA office, with an interest meeting Monday.
Senate forms of intent were due Friday in the SA office.
The Senate, one of three branches of the SA, writes and passes legislation, including recommendations for student basketball tickets and the placement of crosswalks on campus. Some senators are chosen according to residence, while others are chosen based on their colleges.
The Senate meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month, usually in Mitchell Memorial Library, and attendance is important, SA Vice President Lee Weiskopf said.
“In the past we were more lenient with people not coming, but this year things are going to be a little different,” he said. “The two most important duties of any college senator are to talk to his or her constituents and to be at Senate meetings to support or reject new legislation.”
Senate candidates must have a 2.5 grade point average and must not be on any form of academic probation, according to the SA Constitution.
Most years, polling for SA elections takes place in The Union, but due to the renovations, the polling places will be Mitchell Memorial Library and Perry Cafeteria, Weiskopf said.
The new senators will be announced Sept. 12 at 9 p.m. in front of the SA office, he said.
Freshman Forum applications were due Friday.
Freshman Forum members are not elected but chosen through an interview process. The group is made up of approximately 18 freshman students with outstanding leadership qualities and helps to open doors for future leadership positions, according to the SA’s Web site.
“Freshman Forum is a great way to see early on how involvement at Mississippi State works,” said Jodi Griswold, a sophomore animal and dairy science major and former member of Freshman Forum. “Each year Freshman Forum plans a leadership conference for high school juniors and seniors. It’s a great way to get more high school juniors and seniors excited about taking on leadership positions and encouraging them to step up in any possible way.”
Freshman Forum was a great first step in learning and participating in the SA, she added.