Over the next two weeks, the Bucknell Student Government (BSG) will be running elections to fill the open seats in BSG for the second semester, which includes at least one seat in the Class Senate for the classes of 2023-2025 and five of the seven BSG specialized committees. 

Candidates can campaign between Jan. 24 and Jan. 31, with student voting being conducted on Feb. 1 and results announced the following day. 

BSG President Bernadette Maramis ’24 discussed the BSG voting process. “BSG could not function without the seats filled, as there is a specific amount of people needed to take part in the voting process of resolutions and to even hold Congress,” Maramis said. 

“One of the most crucial functions of BSG is to provide representation for every student on campus,” Class of 2024 President Elena Roe said. “To be frank, the function of a PWI [predominantly-White institution] lends itself to the consistent silencing of students of color, LGBTQ+ students and other marginalized groups on campus. The influence of organizations on campus that are centers of privilege (i.e. Greek Life organizations) is profoundly greater at Bucknell than that of many other students and organizations (such as those with a multicultural focus, or those centered on activism). This is evidenced by instances of inexcusable violence and prejudice on campus, as well as the perpetually expressed negative experiences within Bucknell’s marginalized communities.”

Roe also elaborated her own view of Student Government at the University. “BSG can and should function as an equitable force that opposes institutional and systemic injustice, and truly catalyzes greater diversity and inclusion on [our] campus in a non-performative, assertive manner,” Roe said.

“As with any representative body, BSG has had moments of success and failure in this objective. But one of the greatest priorities of BSG’s Executive Committee is rebuilding trust between these communities and the organization charged with representing them. BSG is a space for all voices, and as such, what we as an organization view as the ‘Bucknell experience’ must be informed by that of the collective, not simply those in positions of privilege.” 

“Without the perspectives of every student and group on campus represented, BSG fails to live up to its charter, and as such I cannot express how crucial true equity and inclusion is to the function of Student Government.” 

Each Class Senate is made up of Class Executives (President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer) and seven Senators to, according to the BSG website, “identify and address issues that pertain to each class year, promote class unity and uphold traditions.” Both the 2023 and 2024 classes have four open Senate positions, with the Class of 2025 offering one open position. Each Senator is also assigned to work on specialized committees, which also have House Delegates who are not part of the Class Senate but still attend Congress as voting members focusing specifically on their specialized committee’s objectives. Of the seven BSG committees, the five with openings are Student Advocacy, Academic Affairs, Community Affairs, Diversity and Sustainability. 

“I would strongly recommend that people apply to BSG as it is a great way to get plugged into the [University] community,” Maramis said. “As an organization that caters to all members of our student body, we play a substantial and active role in planning activities and initiatives that foster a community of inclusivity and kindness. When joining BSG, you are entering a space of driven, motivated and talented individuals that are dedicated to making [the University] a better place.”