What is the difference between the Senate and the SGA (Student Government Association)/GSG (Graduate Student Government)?
The SGA and GSG are governmental bodies made up entirely of undergraduate and graduate students respectively. As such, the main roles of the SGA and GSG are to advocate for causes that students care about, to support student organizations, and to plan and organize events for students. The University Senate differs in that it is representative of all campus constituencies (faculty, staff, and students) and works directly with the University President. Often the legislatures of the SGA and GSG pass resolutions related to items that the Senate is reviewing. The presidents of the SGA and the GSG are ex-officio members of the Senate, and they frequently speak on behalf of the undergraduate and graduate student bodies at Senate meetings. There are also ex-officio SGA and GSG representatives on Senate committees.
