Current Students - Office of Campus & Student Life - Student Government
Student Government
The Student Government Association (SGA) is comprised of every full- and part-time NCCC student and their elected officers. The official SGA Constitution reads, "The purpose of Student Government at North Country Community College is to involve and integrate students into the operations and ongoing development of policies, activities, and governance matters of the College." OK, so what does that mean? For starters, it means that SGA is a pretty important facet of NCCC. It means that, depending on the interest and involvement of SGA, the student body can be a loud voice that is heard by the College.
Operation and Development of College Policies...Through SGA, students can:
- propose new ideas
- change existing policies
- challenge regulations
- make decisions that will help determine the direction in which the school will head in the future
Almost every college committee should have student representation on it. Any student can represent the student body through a position on the Advisory Council. Students have to take the responsibility of college committee membership seriously.
The SGA has the right and responsibility to serve on the College Review Board. The College Review Board (CRB) supervises and monitors the Code of Conduct of North Country Community College, particularly its student body. It makes recommendations to the Dean of Student Affairs concerning the conduct of the members of the College community; it hears appeals of academic and disciplinary problems, and makes recommendations to the Dean of Student Affairs concerning actions to be taken. According to the Code of Conduct Statement of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, two students serve on the CRB.
Student Activities
SGA is responsible for spending a portion of the money that every single student has contributed to through the Student Activity Fee. This is a challenge when you consider the diversity of the student body. The secret to successful programming is getting as much representation from as many student groups as possible. SGA should at least make sure that everybody will be pleased about a few things. As many students as possible should be involved in the planning of activities.
Student Leadership
Most importantly, SGA is about student leadership. Not only do the officer positions provide opportunities for responsibility, commitment, and putting ideas into action, but through the projects that SGA sponsors and promotes, others can learn new things about the world and the role they play in it. The wise expenditure of student activity fees results in cultural learning experiences, expert speakers, and opportunities for many students to get involved in the planning of events.
What Are The Responsibilities of Executive Officers?
The President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Senators make up the SGA Executive Branch. SGA meetings should occur weekly when the College is in session. All Executive Officers are expected to be in attendance, while all SGA members (all students) are invited to attend. In addition to the specific responsibilities of each officer, all of the officers are expected to have an active interest in the governance of the College, in representing accurately and responsibly the student body that elected them, and in spending student activity fees in ways that take into thoughtful consideration the entire student body. Officers also keep office hours as part of being accessible to students. The time commitment involved in being an SGA officer is, on average, between 5-10 hours/week.
What follows are specific responsibilities that are common to the particular offices. Understand that the duties listed are examples. It is up to each SGA to determine and assign specific responsibilities on the basis of what needs to be done and who is best suited for the task.
President
- head of SGA Executive Branch
- chairs all SGA meetings and maintains parliamentary procedure
- voting member of NCCC Association
- delegates responsibilities to other SGA officers
- main liaison between the students, faculty, and administration
- responsible for recognizing and organizing current issues and assigning them to the appropriate committee or executive officer
- main spokesperson and representative of the entire study body
- with advice and consent of SGA, appoints the chair and members of all standing committees
- calls special meetings when necessary
- represents SGA and the student body at official College ceremonies and upon other occasion where such representation is appropriate
- presents SGA recommendations to the College and Association (copies of recommendations are on file with SGA Secretary)
- gives "State of the College Address" at last SGA Advisory Council Meeting
- drafts monthly report of activities/issues for Student Trustee to present at the Board of Trustees Meeting and for the NCCC Association Meeting
- assists in the organization of Spring SGA elections and in the training of the incoming SGA
Vice President
- assist the President
- serves as the President in the absence of the elected President
- head of Advisory Council
- presides over monthly Advisory Council Meeting
- oversees clubs or organizations which are recognized by SGA and assures that they adhere to the rules and regulations as derived from the constitution and the club constitution
- keeps orderly files on each club and organization
- mandates that clubs receiving SGA funds meet at least once a month and turn in minutes to SGA for their club file
- researches and plans SGA sponsored trips
- oversees SGA publications
- assists in the organization of Spring SGA elections and in the training of new SGA Vice President
Treasurer
- keeps accurate financial records of all accounts of the SGA
- works closely with the Executive Director of the NCCC Association
- presents weekly financial report to SGA
- presents weekly bills to SGA
- responsible for the issuance of purchase orders utilizing SGA funds and for budget submissions and revisions
- brings club requests for money to SGA for approval
- conducts Spring inventory of all equipment owned by SGA valued more than $50
- assists in organization of Spring elections and in the training of incoming SGA Treasurer
Secretary
- takes minutes of SGA meetings
- presents previous minutes at SGA meetings
- assists the President in the development of an SGA meeting agenda
- handles all correspondences necessary for the functioning of SGA
- responsible for SGA mailings
- keeps all SGA files and records up to date and filed in the SGA Office
- sends warning letters to all clubs and organizations noting absences of their representative at Advisory Council Meetings
- records and maintains a historical file of the SGA
- assists in the organization of Spring SGA elections
Senator
- represents the student body to the SGA
- polls the interests of the student body
- disseminates information to the student body
- stays informed on matters pertaining to clubs, organizations, and special populations
- assists the Vice President in forming and governing the Advisory Council
- assists the other Executive Branch officials in the performance of their duties
- assists in the organization of the Spring SGA elections
What Are The Responsibilities of Advisory Council Members?
The Advisory Council is composed of students who represent the various campus clubs, organizations, team sports, special populations, and the student body at large. It can also include those students who are appointed by the SGA Vice-President to serve a specific function for the SGA and the student body.
The purpose of the Advisory Council is to provide the SGA Executive Branch with information and advice from the entire student body. Advisory Council members provide input to the Executive Branch, but do not vote on SGA matters.
The Advisory Council can meet weekly, monthly, or as needed (as determined by the SGA Vice-President). The Advisory Council is a very important component of SGA. Without it, adequate representation of the student body is much less likely, and fewer students are afforded input into the decisions that affect every student.
What Does the Student Trustee Do?
The Student Trustee is the student representative to the NCCC Board of Trustees. The Student Trustee represents all campus/extension sites and is elected through an all-College election. The position is advisory in nature to the SGA Executive Branch. The Student Trustee should also be accessible to the student body as a whole in order to become familiar with the concerns and issues that face students. When casting his/her vote during Board of Trustee meetings, the Student Trustee's vote should be intelligent and should speak for the students. The Board of Trustees meets once a month. It is through these meetings and the Student Trustee that the student body has their most vocal means of relaying student needs and concerns.
When Are SGA Elections?
Elections for the positions of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Student Trustee will take place during the late Spring. In early Fall, approximately three weeks after the semester begins, elections for the position of Senators will be held, and the appointments of Advisory Council positions will be made. There is a nomination period of at least two weeks and a one-week campaigning period, followed by three days of voting.
What Is the Student’s Role?
If you are a full- or part-time student at NCCC, you are a member of the SGA body. In other words, the Student Government Association is much more than just the Executive Branch and even more than the Advisory Council. It is as large and potentially powerful as the entire student body.
Perhaps the greatest responsibility of each student is their educated vote in executive position elections. Being aware of the candidates' intentions and qualifications and demanding that the potential officers be responsible is a very important part of the SGA student member's role. It does not stop here, however. Every NCCC student with an idea, a legitimate concern, a criticism, or an observation has the responsibility (and the opportunity) to channel their energy into a system that can work, rather than simply complain or remain silent. All SGA members (again, that means every student) are welcome to attend SGA meetings, which are held weekly while school is in session. These meetings serve to keep everyone informed, and to provide every student who cares about their years at NCCC, an opportunity to be heard.
Advisory Council meetings are also open to all student. Students might opt to attend once with a pressing concern, or they might choose to attend regularly as a member representing a particular student group or interest.
Benefits of Active SGA Involvement
- satisfaction of leading your peers
- chance to work with and meet a lot of interesting people
- attendance at conferences and workshops
- prepares you for a leadership role at a four-year institution or at your place of employment
- opportunity to stretch your education beyond classroom instruction
- acquisition of new skills
- looks great on a resume
Where do I get more information?
If you would like more information, or you know that you want to get involved, drop by your campus/extension site SGA Office. DO IT TODAY!
Contact the Office of Campus & Student Life Staff:
Bobbie Karp - Director of Campus & Student Life: 518-891-2915 ext.204
Daniel Heims - Assistant Director of Campus & Student Life: 518-891-2915 ext.215
Bruce Kelly - Malone Campus Coordinator of Campus & Student Life: 518-483-4554 ext.226
Bella Madden Doolittle - Ticonderoga Coordinator of Campus & Student Life: 518-585-4454 ext.2203