SG executive branch applications close Wednesday: Here's what you can apply for

The executive branch is the bee’s knees when it comes to running Student Government programming and getting things done. Now that there is a new SG administration coming in soon, applications are open for agency heads, cabinet directorships and executive secretaries. Judicial branch positions are open as well (the judicial branch officials are picked by the executive branch).

So what are all these positions?

As stated on the SG website, “Agencies are government bodies that specialize in particular student needs on campus and within student government.” You can see agencies in action when agencies such as Accent bring in speakers for us to see or when Chomp the Vote has voter registration drives.

You can see the full list of agencies on SG’s website under “agencies.” Each agency has a head, and those are the positions currently open that you can apply for. Looking at some of the successful agency head applications from last year, I can see the successful ones had multiple pages of proposals, goals and even charts detailing the applicant’s proposed structure for the agency. Previous experience with the agency would likely help, as there are likely applicants who have already served their time in staff or vice-chair positions, but if you think you can manage something impressive, you should give it a shot.

Complementing agencies are cabinets. Together, agencies and cabinets are the bread and butter of SG programming. There are 18 different cabinets under three divisions with respective cabinet directors and division chairs, and you can apply for both. A full list of cabinets can also be found on SG’s website under “cabinet.”

The Student Body benefits from cabinets in a number of ways. These people are responsible for Disability Affairs, Finance and Affordability, LGBTQ Affairs and Women’s Affairs. Internally, these entities are supposed to do a lot of work in the communities they represent. Externally, the work of the different cabinets can easily be seen in the one-day fairs we see every so often, such as the recent SG housing fair.

Finally, there are executive secretaries within the executive branch. These 13 officials serve as liaisons between the Student Body president and different aspects of campus. In truth, these are not significantly different from the cabinet, but nonetheless are distinct and important.

Again, these positions are available on SG’s website, but a couple examples include Academic Affairs, Campus Safety, Legal Affairs and Technology Secretary. Though each role is pretty specialized, it generally involves working with a corresponding university department or entity, advocating for students’ needs and making sure the president is up to date.

Outside the executive branch are the supervisor of elections and the Supreme Court. These roles are pretty unsurprising and mostly match their real-world counterparts. The supervisor of elections runs the elections, and the Supreme Court, which you can apply to if you’re in the Levin College of Law, rules and issues opinions on our law and SG constitution.

A little bird told me Student Body President-elect Ian Green will be writing his own column promoting applications so I’ll hold off on trying to say too much about what specifically happens in the application process and what he may be looking for.

What I will recommend, however, is that if you feel well-qualified for a particular position, give it a shot. Even if you don’t get the position this time around, once all the agency and cabinet heads are chosen, these newly appointed officers will need to choose their new staff members, and applications will likely be released for positions like vice-chairs and general staff positions. It isn’t over until it’s over.

Questions, comments or concerns? Email me at zchou@ufl.edu.

Zachariah Chou is a UF political science sophomore and Murphree Area Senator. His column focuses on Student Government.