Elections coming in March as SGA looks to fill vacant positions

The Central Michigan University Student Government Association has several positions vacant at the beginning of the new semester.

Positions available include the Student Services Chairperson and City Commission Liason, which are both appointed positions. There are also multiple senator positions available, which can be applied for by any CMU student.

Vincent Cavataio, Student Government Association president

SGA President Vince Cavataio, a Shelby Township senior, said students wishing to run for one of the chair positions should send a letter of intent by Monday. Cavataio said of the positions available, the City Commission Liason is particularly important to SGA and the community.

“They will go to the city meetings and basically act as a liason between SGA, the CMU community and the city of Mount Pleasant,” Cavataio said. “They’ll report back to the executive council and say what’s going on in Mount Pleasant, what we should be concerned about and what we can do for the city.”

General elections for major positions will be held from March 12-16, and voting can be done at vote.cmich.edu. However, unofficial campaigning has already begun for those seeking major positions in SGA, including president, vice president and treasurer.

Students hoping to run for a major position must turn in a candidate eligibility packet by Feb. 3, at which point official campaigning will be allowed.

Cavataio said several students have already taken an interest in the positions before the official campaigning period.

“I’ve gotten probably six or seven emails from students interested in running, which is a nice change from the two that ran last year,” Cavataio said. “So it’s nice to see interest and that people think (SGA) is relevant enough to run for the positions.”

Milford graduate student Christopher Armelagos, SGA Elections Director, said he would encourage any student who wishes to get involved on campus to run for an SGA position.

“It’s really empowering being an advocate for the student body,” Armelagos said. “We have a lot of great student leaders on campus and if they’re looking to get involved at CMU, this can be a great opportunity.”