Cassi Pittman, a College freshman, has been interested in student government since she first arrived on campus. But before last night, when she attended a Nominations and Elections Committee panel discussion on how to get involved, she did not know where to start.
"I came to find out what's available, what exactly the [Undergraduate Assembly] does and what committees there are," Pittman said.
At last night's event, held in Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge, members of the different branches of Penn's student government spoke to a mostly-minority audience about the beginnings of their involvement and about their achievements in their respective posts.
"The NEC is this year trying to educate the student population about the involvement possibilities, successes and current projects of all branches of student government," panel moderator and NEC Vice Chairman for Education Eli Schlam said. "It's an ongoing process that involves many steps and activities, but that we hope will lead to a more active and informed student body."
One of the main purposes of the discussion was to reassure members of minority groups, such as Pittman, that they are welcome in the student government and should not be afraid to seek either elected or nominated positions. The NEC sent out e-mails to minority group leaders and encouraged them to forward information about the meeting to people that might be interested in student government.
"The reason that it was more minority focused was because historically we haven't been able to reach those communities," NEC Chairwoman Anne Hankey said after the event. "We don't want someone to run because he or she is a minority, but rather because he or she can bring new concerns or ideas. This panel gave people the tools to have their voices heard."
Hankey said that one of the reasons that members of minority groups do not join the UA or other branches of student government may be that they are involved with groups within their own communities. However, she said that it is possible for students to be involved in both types of organizations.
"We want people to still be active within their minority groups, but their opinions and knowledge are needed to make a change for the betterment of the University community," the College senior said, adding that there are some committee positions that require smaller time commitments.
Another purpose of the panel was to inform prospective student government members about the different opportunities available to them.
The panelists emphasized that only positions on the UA and class boards are elected -- students seeking positions on the NEC, the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Student Activities Council will undergo an application and nominations process in the coming weeks.
Engineering sophomore Matt Lattman, chairman of the West Philadelphia Committee of the UA, has run for several positions but has never won an election. He offered encouraging words to prospective candidates.
"You're not going to be stuck on the bottom," Lattman said. "All you have to do is apply or run. Things will happen, and things will work out."
While only 20 students attended the panel, the student leaders who organized it said they were pleased with the turnout.
"We're very happy with the number of people who came out, and we really hope that these people will get involved and tell their friends to get involved," Schlam said. "The more opinions and voices that are heard, the better we can represent the student body."
Students who are interested in running for a position on the UA or class boards must attend one of the information sessions today or tomorrow to learn about student government and to pick up a candidate packet. All students who are considering student government positions can visit the NEC web site -- http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~nec -- for specific details on mandatory meetings and applications.
