Who Are We?
We are a group of undergraduate students who:
- officially represent student voice and the student body to the UMass administration
- work directly with administrators to influence and change campus policy
- decide how to effectively allocate $2 million to Registered Student Organizations (RSOs)
- approve new RSOs and advise students throughout the application process (per semester)
- provide emergency funding to RSOs throughout the year
Like the US government, we are made of an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch. Click on the links below for more information.
Why is the SGA Important?
Because of the Wellman Document, which is a legally binding trustee document, we are the official governing body of UMass undergraduate students.
To quickly assess how students view an issue, administrators often look first to the SGA, and because of this, SGA members often have a seat at the decision-making table that other student groups may not receive. We are your representatives!
We also are in charge of allocating funds from the Student Activities Trust Fund, or the SATF. Through the Student Activities fee, roughly $2 million is available each year to fund RSOs, making the SATF one of the clearest and most transparent uses of student money.
Students First
The SGA’s job is to serve, represent, and advocate for students. We believe in student voice and in “Students First!”
Some of our projects and campaigns this year include:
- Proposing on-campus veteran housing – approved by Housing and Residential Life, effective Fall 2012
- UMass Textbook Swap: a textbook selling and buying alternative, made for UMass students by UMass students
- Advocating for student voice and student jobs in the Involve Us campaign
- Hosting a student debt workshop
- Organizing two Lobby Days for the spring semester, which will bring students to the State House
- Planning a day for state legislators to visit UMass Amherst and see firsthand all the great work students do
If you have a project or campaign idea, please let us know!