The life of a college student can be remarkably stressful. Whether you’re attending classes in between shifts or trying to juggle your hours of study with your hours of sleep, this reality can make it easy to overlook all the hard work that goes into running a college. Many of these people–professors, staff, administrators, and program organizers among others–may not be recognized for their valuable contributions by most, however, the Harbinger Podcast recently sat down with a few select members from one of these groups to discuss how they coordinate campus activities and improve campus life for students.

Even though the Student Government Association (SGA) represents the student body here at ICC, many are unaware of their importance to campus life. This elected organization serves as a way for student leaders to unite their efforts and effectively communicate student concerns and promote activities.

The SGA typically organizes an event once a month.

“We pride ourselves on student engagement and events. They are a great opportunity for SGA to interact with students,” Chase Carter, current Treasurer of the organization, comments on how he’s personally seen the SGA’s mission go into action. “We take the feedback we receive from those students and direct it to the appropriate channels here at the college in an effort to enact change that will benefit the students and their experience.”

Chase was one of the students invited to speak during the Harbinger Podcast last week. He was joined by SGA President Cheryl Harvey where they talked at length about how SGA operates and acts on behalf of the students.

For those interested in joining SGA, elections are held every semester for the different positions within the organization. Typically during March of the spring semester, the SGA holds Officer Elections. These are positions within the organization that presides over meetings and chooses the direction of the organization. In the fall, Senate Elections are held for representative positions.

In both elections, students are chosen by their peers to represent the needs and wants of the student population of Illinois Central College across the college.

While the task of taking on an elected position within the organization can seem daunting, Carter reiterated that meetings are open to the public and they invite anyone interested to participate.

The Student Government Association holds meetings every Monday at 3 PM. The first of each month are held in the Student Life Room at the Peoria Campus with all subsequent meetings held in Room 302A on the East Peoria Campus.

Additionally, Carter advocates collaborating with other student organizations. Many of those who contribute to the SGA also participate in other on-campus activities and organizations. Some have even been known to write articles for Harbinger Student Media, such as President Harvey.

Carter says, at its core, the SGA’s mission is for all students to benefit from the work they do on-campus. “[We] are here to serve the students and improve their college experience here at ICC.”

The more people involved, the more people that can make a difference to better student life.

For additional information about joining the SGA or other student organizations, stop by the Student Life offices on either campus or email our President Cheryl Harvey.