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Get Involved in Student Government

Undergraduate Student Senate

All Student Senate general body meetings are open to the campus community, so please come sit in! We also hold individual committee meetings that handle specific initiatives, the times of which are posted under the "Committees" page. General Body Meetings are held in Danforth Conference Room every Thursday from 5:20-6:30 p.m.

Senators vs. Members-at-Large

A Member-at-Large in Senate may serve on a committee, participate in any committee initiatives, and participate during general body meetings, but may not vote in general body proceedings. Senators, elected to represent their colleges, may perform all of these duties but can in addition vote in Senate meetings.

How to Become a Senator

There are two ways to become a senator:

  • Every Spring, the undergraduate students from every college elect senators to represent them.
  • If there is a vacancy during the year in your college you can submit a petition [PDF] with 25 signatures from your college.
  • Note: Our next vacancy election is on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, at our General Body Meeting in UC Danforth from 5:20-6:30pm. See Senate->Get Involved to see vacancy specifics.

How to Become a Member-at-Large

You must attend 3 general body meetings of the senate and then be nominated by a senator in your home college.

Graduate Student Assembly

The Graduate Student Assembly is made up of more than 100 graduate student representatives.  Representatives are selected at the program level.  Timeline and procedures vary from program to program, so speak to your Graduate Program Coordinator for details on how your program selects its GSA Representatives. GSA Meetings are the first Wednesday of each month from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
 
We also have several committees that are open to all members of CMU's graduate student community.  More information on our committees can be found here on our website.

Joint Funding Committee (JFC)

The JFC budgets and allocates over $2.1 million to student organizations. If you would like to be a member of the JFC, which is chaired by the Director of Finance, please contact sbvpf@andrew.cmu.edu.  More information on the JFC can be found under the JFC page.

Committee of Student Organizations (CoSO) and University Center Allocations Board (UCAB)

CoSO as a group helps determine what student organizations would become part of the Carnegie Mellon community and obtain Student Government recognition, and aid all types of organizations in the new recognition and re-recognition processes for our 350+ organizations. CoSO meets weekly for approximately one to two hours each time.

UCAB is a committee that reads through applications submitted by organizations requesting space in the University Center’s third floor, Doherty Parking Garage basement, and Margaret Morrison storefront. As a group, UCAB then makes decisions on assignments of space to organizations. UCAB meets biweekly for two hours each time.

If you would like to be a member of the CoSO or UCAB (chaired by the Director of Organizations), please contact sbvpo@andrew.cmu.edu. More information on CoSO/UCAB can be found on the Student Organizations page.

Running for Office

If you would like to run for Director of Finance, Director of Organizations, or as an undergraduate Senator, campus-wide elections are held every Spring. Visit the official student government election website for additional information.