Elections for Student Association president, vice president, and senate are fast approaching and petitions to run for these positions are due on Friday, February 12.

If you’re interested in any of these positions, pick up a petition from the Student Association (SA) office, located in the basement of Burgh. Directions are printed on the petitions and are fairly simple: fill it out, get a certain number of signatures, and hand it back in to the SA. Once petitions are handed in, chief justice Jenna Johnson will contact you with campaigning information.

Johnson is busy getting the word out about the upcoming elections. So far, not many people have expressed interest in running for office. “Running for a position would give you experience, if you’ve never done something like this before,” Johnson said. “It’s a good experience for thinking about how to represent your class and for getting your name out there.”

Current president G.G. Flint and vice president Lukas Dahlstrom agree that being a part of the Student Association is a great experience and a good way to connect with students. “My favorite aspect of being SA president has been feeling like I’ve been able to make a difference for North Park. I haven’t lost any opportunities to get involved,” said Flint.

As president, Flint oversees the SA, presides over senate meetings, oversees student life and clubs, and represents North Park students to the administration and the board of trustees.

Dahlstrom’s favorite aspect of being vice president has been his interaction with students. “I’ve been able to work with students, allowing them to do the things that they really care about and want to do, whether it’s starting a club that they think is really important, or putting on a concert, or serving other students in different ways,” he said.

As vice president, Dahlstrom assists Flint in representing students and is the student body representative to the faculty. He also oversees operations of publications, like the North Park Press and the yearbook, and oversees Java Haus.

Flint and Dahlstrom’s final project as president and vice president has been creating a proposal that would change certain aspects of the SA. “We want to make SA a more effective student government so that we can really fulfill our role as student representatives and really present the voice of the students to the administration,” Flint said. “We are requesting a full time advisor and we want to change the way that students are represented.”

Part of Flint and Dahlstrom’s proposal is to have student senators represent various categories of students, such as commuters, residents, and athletes, rather than the traditional four students from each class – freshman, sophomore, junior, senior – representing their respective classes.

As Flint’s and Dahlstrom’s terms end this March, it is up to the incoming president and vice president to implement this proposal that will be presented at the board of trustees meeting in a couple weeks. Flint and Dahlstrom will share ideas and plans with the people who are going to run for president and vice president. “We’ll play a role in the transition just to train the new people and get them on their feet,” Flint said.

Flint strongly recommends being active in the SA. “Students should be interested [in running] if they want to take responsibility for their time here at North Park,” she said. “You can’t really do anything about questions and concerns unless you’re proactive about getting into the arenas. That’s important, feeling motivated to improve North Park and to help others.”

Other positions that are opening up are those of chief justice, secretary, and treasurer. Students will be appointed to these positions by the incoming president and vice president.

Campaigning will take place from February 13-21, and voting will be from February 22-26.

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