The Student Government Association (SGA) at Nicholls State University has over 30 positions open to all interested students.

-3 College of Science and Technology Senators

-1 College of Liberal Arts Senator

-3 College of Business Senators

-3 College of Nursing Senators

-1 Culinary Institute Senator

-5 Senators at Large

-1 Graduate Senator

-5 Multicultural Senators

-1 Bridge to Independence Senator

-1 Student Organizations Senator

-1 Athletics Senator

-4 Election Commissions Senators

-2 Student Supreme Court Justices 

-1 Treasurer

According to SGA President Tyler Legnon, there has been a steady flow of students joining the organization their freshman year and filtering in and out throughout their time at Nicholls. Many of the members leave whenever they graduate. 

Many of the available positions were created before the pandemic. Because of this, not many students were looking to be involved when these positions were implemented. Now, as things start to go back to normal, the SGA is emphasizing these positions and ensuring the students know that they are available. 

“That’s why they are not currently full. The time in which they were implemented did not line up to the time in which students were looking to get very involved,” Legnon said. 

Low enrollment numbers and lack of student interest are also factors in why these positions are empty.  SGA Vice President Symphony Brown said that it is hard to get people involved when there are not many people on campus that want to be involved and some that don’t even know what the SGA is.

One position that the organization finds to be most difficult to fill is the athletic senator position. Because student athletes are already so busy, oftentimes the SGA’s meeting times  conflict with their schedules. 

All of the SGA senators have the same set of guidelines they have to follow in order to remain in good standing with the organization. Even though a senator may represent a specific college, they may cross over into any realm of university life to write a motion in order to make things better. 

The shared general responsibilities of each senator include producing two pieces of legislation, attending at least three hours worth of SGA events and being a good member of the Nicholls community. Aside from that, they have to serve on at least one university committee which are the larger committees that senators are able to sit in on.

“We want students that can represent every single entity of the student body and we also want students that are compassionate about the other students on campus and that are willing to go out and advocate for the other students.” Brown said. 

This semester, the SGA has a wide variety of goals. Not only are they aiming to increase enrollment into the organization, but they are also looking toward sending more students to leadership conferences and to granting a big gift to the university for its 75th anniversary. They are also interested in creating a new program that will reward students for actively being involved in the college experience.

“My hope for the future of the SGA is that anybody who becomes involved with the organization keeps the student experience at the forefront.” Legnon said, “Oftentimes, people forget the reason why they join an organization, and I think it’s important that we continue to build student leaders that are representative of the people they are supposed to represent and that they can become the student leaders I know they are meant to be.”

The SGA is looking for any student of any background looking to give back to the Nicholls community. Anyone interested in becoming a part of the SGA can apply here on their page through the Nicholls website.