RIC Student Community Government opens voting on Executive Board elections to all students

Olivia Barone

Editor in Chief

An update to RIC’s Student Community Government’s (SCG) election policy will open voting on all Executive Board positions to the entire student body through an online balloting system. The policy was officially passed during SCG’s Feb. 11 parliamentary meeting and made effective in time for elections this April. 

Graphic by RIC Student Community Government

Why does this matter? 

RIC’s SCG is a governing student body with power to make decisions and vote on issues that have campus-wide effects. The presence of faculty, staff, administrative and student representatives combined with six elected Executive Board positions funded by RIC’s student activity fee makes this possible. Some responsibilities that fall under SCG’s jurisdiction include: the establishment, funding and coordination of the majority of clubs and student organizations, the creation of student-run committees aimed at providing services to and assisting RIC’s student body and serving as a direct line of communication to campus administrators. 

Until now, SCG Executive Board candidates campaigned to and were voted on by parliament members only. Parliament is made up of students with a wide range of backgrounds, making for a group that attempts to represent and uphold the interests of RIC’s greater student population. However, a campus population of approximately 6,000 students is difficult to encapsulate and speak for. 

Current SCG Vice President Tess Sullivan spoke of the benefits of opening the vote during the parliamentary meeting on Feb 11. “[This] is a huge step in accessibility for SCG. Opening up the student body vote will allow every single student on campus to be able to pick who is in charge of the money from their student activity fee. It’s a big deal.” 

Which positions will be up for election this spring? 

All six SCG Executive Board positions will need to be voted on to lead throughout the 26-27 academic school year. These positions include: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Speaker of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of Parliament. Descriptions of these positions and their respective responsibilities are outlined in the By-laws of SCG. 

How to vote:

Online voting for the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary will be open April 8-15 while Parliament officers will be elected on April 22. For more information and official updates, see the SCG Instagram page.