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Ananya Handa
Professor Gary Vaughn
Intermediate Composition
2 December 2015

Standing Up While Sitting Down: Student Government and Its Failure to be Inclusive

Student Government in any educational institution is often considered an elite

organization, due to the power and influence it can exert. Also known as Student Council, this
student organization is an extremely popular extracurricular activity for high school and college
students to get involved with, and many times, one of the first they look at. In some cases,
however, students may be wary of getting involved in such an overarching organization, which
serves as the medium for communication between the students and the administration of the
educational institution. They may not feel that they can contribute anything of value to the
community, or that they do not have the qualifications necessary to apply to be a part of it. When
asked about the negatives of Student Government at the University of Cincinnati (UC), a first
year student who recently became a member responded, Some negatives are the lack of
inclusiveness in the different branches, and a sense of elitism that develops as part of being in a
position of power or as part of being a selective organization (see Appendix A).
The presence of the hierarchy is a principal component of Student Government, although
the nature of this hierarchy could differ across institutions based on their history and
geographical location. Schools tend to keep their hierarchal structure constant over the years, and
processes take time to change. Also, the way the topmost officials are appointed also differs from

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country to country; in the Unites States, the students themselves elect most student governments,
whereas in the United Kingdom and some parts of India, the worthy students are appointed to
their posts by the faculty. The aim of these governing associations remains constant even with
the differences in their structure. All of them try to help pass on students ideas, requests, and
complaints, and to initiate change for the improvement of the student experience at the
educational institution as a whole and so are bound together by their common goal. This
community of individuals can thus be looked at as a discourse community, albeit not as a single
discourse community across multiple institutions. The differences in the structures, membership,
the varied rules the student governing associations follow, and even the lexis they use differs
from institution to institution. Therefore, it can be said that student government at a particular
university or school can be looked at as a discourse community, and that particular group of
individuals can be analyzed in terms of their internal communication and practices.
It is ironic however, that an organization with the aim to provide servant-leadership at its
best fails to make itself approachable by the students it claims to represent. The Harvard
Crimson, which is student-run newspaper for Harvard University states, The popular idea of the
Student Council is that of a body which meets occasionally, talks much and to little effect, and
performs certain shadowy functions which no one could clearly define. It is clear that many
students outside the organization fail to comprehend its reasons for existence, and the role that it
serves. Exploring Leadership by Susan R. Komives, Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon,
highlights this notion:
It has been said that when asked about the early days of the Peace Corps, Sargent
Shriver, its director, noted that the leadership of the organization didnt meet they
were too busy doing thingsTake a hard look at your organization. How would a

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random sample of students on your campus describe the student government? Would
they be positive? Negative? Indifferent? Could they identify any recent
accomplishments of the group? (268)
Clearly, it has already been recognized that the outsiders to the organization fail to realize the
true nature of the communitys undertakings. What is even more surprising still is that many
members within Student Government fail to identify themselves as part of the organization, and
continue to consider it a resource they are aware of but not necessarily affiliated to. It is this
concept that I attempt to explore through my research. Why is it that members of an organization
as large and well-defined as student government fail to feel like they belong? In other words,
why is it that they fail to be fully enculturated in this community?
As mentioned earlier, student government in any organization is a discourse community,
and meets the criteria defined by linguist John Swales. In this paper, I choose to focus on the
Undergraduate Student Government (abbreviated as UGSG) at the University of Cincinnati, to
focus on the structure and workings of a particular group, rather than a generalization of all
student government associations as a whole. As a senator for the Lindner College of Business, I
am a part of this discourse community, and that affiliation and familiarity with the organization
allowed me to gain some unique insights from members at various levels of the hierarchal
structure. I also serve as the secretary for the Academic Affairs Committee in UGSG as well as
the assistant to the treasurer, and these roles collectively allowed me to benefit from the
relationships I had formed with a number of student government members. Through personal and
e-mail interviews, as well as a group discussion, I was able to obtain first hand opinions of
members of this discourse community.

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Daniel OConnor, a member of student government as a tribunal senator since 2014,

wrote an ethnography on this discourse community in April 2015, where he analyzed the identity
and authority of the organization. There, he established that the UGSG at UC is in fact a
discourse community, and meets the six criteria defined by Swales. Swales starts off his theory
about discourse communities with the criterion that a discourse community has a broadly
agreed set of common public goals (220). The UGSG at the University of Cincinnati clearly has
a common purpose to improve the student experience at the University of Cincinnati. Their
website blares out this message, with a focus on the initiatives that the organization is working to
achieve, in an attempt to show the student body that tangible steps are in place. The community
is obviously aware that actions speak louder than words, and the current president and vicepresidents platform is stressed through phrases like, The Naab+Griggs Platform is all about
serving and reaching out to students. The Nabb+Griggs in that sentence is hyperlinked to lead
to a webpage that details the actions the pair is working to accomplish through their term, with
updates about their progress. This goes to show that the UGSG at the University of Cincinnati is
not only working to make the university a better place for all students and be there to listen to
and respond to their complaints and needs, but they are also trying to ensure that students are
aware of the changes taking place around them. Although every year the president and vice
president run on a different platform and have different short term goals for their terms, the
overarching goal of serving the students at UC takes precedence, and hence this organization
meets the first of Swales criterion.
The members of the UGSG also communicate with each other through various platforms.
OConnor, in his ethnography, states:

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Members of UCSG will speak on topics face to face as often as possible, and will do
this through utilization of the Student Government office located on campus.
However, this oftentimes becomes difficult due to members hectic schedules and the
many challenges that come with being a college student. As a result of this, several
additional genres of communication are utilized. Chief among these is email, as it is
perceived as both direct and highly professional. Another common genre is text
messaging and a Facebook group that all members are a part of and frequently use to
interact with one another. (3)
In addition to these, UGSG members also utilize a unique platform called Project Portal,
which was created just last year for the members to share the projects they were working on and
support one another. This website is now accessible by all students at the University of
Cincinnati so they can be aware of the changes being made around campus by their fellow
students.
UGSG members also use participatory mechanisms such as meetings at various levels,
proposals, and bills. In his essay, OConnors summarizes these mechanisms:
Expectations are primarily communicated through meetings. Meetings take the form
of either student senate, which serves as a public, central body for ideas to be shared
and debated, or committee meetings, where more specific goals and initiatives can be
discussed in smaller groups. Ideas are presented in the form of several different
textual genres. The most important of these are bills, which are debated in student
senate and serve a specific purpose for the furtherance of UCSGs overall mission. (3)
All the ideas that members come up with are presented on written bills, through updates on
Project Portal, and recorded in the minutes of the meeting (taken by a secretary assigned to that

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role.) These are thus the genres, or textual components that are used by this discourse
community.
Most commonly the inbuilt dynamic towards an increasingly shared and specialized
terminology is realized through the development of community-specific abbreviations and
acronyms (222) Swales argues that a discourse community has its own specific lexis, and the
UGSG clearly uses specific terminology in each branch. Former San Diego State University
professor Ann Johns wrote, There may be some general academic discourses, languages, values
and concepts that most academics share. Thus faculty often identify themselves with a college or
university and its language and values, as well as the more specialized areas of interest for which
they have been prepared. Members of UGSG use terminology that outsiders may not fully
comprehend. Different branches also use their own specific lexis. The discourse community of
the Student Government at the UC can thus be said to have internal speech communities within
in, the most prominent of which is Senate. In Senate, Robertss Rules of Order are followed as
they are at the University Funding Board meetings. Komives highlights this in her book:
Speech communities can be determined by gender, ethnicity, workplace, interests, or
other groupings that share a common core of patterns about language or how it is
usedExperienced members of a student government organization can develop their
own language, using acronyms and inside jokes, that can be less inclusive when used
around newly elected representatives. (169)
The community of UGSG clearly changes from year to year as well. Some members
graduate, some move up to higher positions, and others decide to leave the organization in
pursuit of other forms of leadership. Within the organization, there exists an Executive Board,
Senate, Cabinet, tribunals, boards, and various programs within them, like the Student

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Government Mentorship Program for first and second year students. The organization is always
open to new members and fresh ideas. In OConnors words, By taking part in tribunals, the
boards, or any of the other committees associated with UCSG, newer members are able to join
and learn about the nuances of community, and thus become properly assimilated in order to
carry out the communitys goals. (5)
Before I began conducting research, I hypothesized that the reason members of the
discourse community failed to feel included was their distance from the key leadership roles, and
the lack of direct interaction between them and the executive board of the UGSG. I imagined that
those in Senate would be more likely to feel that they were part of the community that is student
government, and that the farther a member was from that body, the more likely they would be to
not feel as involved. That turned out to true to a certain extent, but I was surprised to find that
certain members of UGSG Senate also felt that they werent really involved members of the
discourse community. Jacob Harnist, a current at-large senator, voiced his views:
As an at-large senator, I was elected by the student body as a whole, and so I am
supposed to be representative of them. But being an at-large senator is a very lonely
role. Yes, I am working on initiatives and doing my part to make the university a
better place for students. But Im working on those alone. Tribunal senators have their
tribunals behind them, and board senators have their boards. The executive team has
each other. Its true that there are eight of us at-large senators, but its important to
remember that to get these roles, we had to run against each other. Its hard to switch
out of that mindset and start working with each other instead. We also all had our own
individual platforms when we were elected, and though some things may be common,
others arent. In short, do I represent SG? Yes. But do I always feel included? No.

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Elysse Winget, another at-large senator claimed that she did feel like an involved member
because I am the chair of the governmental affairs committee. This is one of the committees
under student government and I write a large amount of legislation due to this position (see
Appendix B). It seems that the sense of identity or the enculturation of a member within the
discourse community does not lie solely with their proximity to the legislative assembly within
it, but is more likely to be influenced by the people they work with and those individuals sense
of identity. There is an exception to this theory younger members (first year students) of this
discourse community, who have mentors who are very senior members of the community, differ
in their perceptions of identifying with UGSG. One first year member, when asked whether he
felt involved stated, No, I cannot obtain voting rights in any of the committees I am in even
though I have attended almost all of the meetings, simply because of my status as a freshman
(see Appendix C). Another UGSG member, who is also in his first year, disagreed with this
statement. He claimed, Every single person in SG is so passionate and friendly and willing to
help, and it's a really great atmosphere to be a part ofI think I've learned a lot about how SG
works, what projects are being worked on, and how to get involved. It seems important to note
that both these members are at the same level and have similar demographics (both are white
males from the Cincinnati region). The latter has two older brothers who are or were a part of the
UGSG at the University of Cincinnati, while the first interviewee did not have any connection to
UGSG in the past.
More aligned with my initial hypothesis was the discovery that some of the members of
tribunals and boards did not feel like their identities aligned with that of UGSG as a whole. At
UC, student government begins as the broadest classification of community for its members; a
members allegiance will be appropriated to their more specialized levels of community.

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(OConnor) Manoj Ambalavanan, a president of one of the boards (University Funding Board)
and a very senior member of UGSG had an explanation:
I do feel like Im an active member and that may be because I have been in both
Student Government and UFB. Some members of my board do feel the same and that
may be for similar reasons. Other members who only participate in UFB don't feel as
included and that may be because they just do not interact with the other members in
SG on a regular basis (see Appendix D).
Again, this statement supports the idea that members sense of identity is related to that of the
people they work with. Olivia Dulle, the senator for the Student Safety Board (SSB), agreed that
there is a disconnect between Senate and the boards, but also went on to say that the situation is
now improving. Other interviewees also agreed that steps are being taken to overcome these
issues of identity and enculturation.
One potential solution for this so-called identity crisis UGSG members are going
through was brought up by Senator John Lewnard, who said that stronger branding would help
bring the discourse community members closer together. As a tribunal senator, his insight on this
matter was especially helpful, since tribunals are one of the areas of the organization that fail to
identify as a branch of UGSG. What he meant was that there should be a common brand that
represents all the branches, rather than them having their own specific names such as the
Student Safety Board or the Lindner Student Association. This need was recognized last
summer at the SG Hackathon, and just two weeks ago, UGSG Senate formally approved of a
marketing campaign that attempts to bring the organization together. #SGWorksForYou was put
together by three individuals who are part of UGSG and it is envisioned that if all branches
(Senate, Cabinet, boards, and tribunals) begin to use this phrase and hashtag, members as well as

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non-members will realize that they are all part of the same organization, and have a common
goal.
Another potential solution to this problem would be restructuring the organization, but
that would be tricky and controversial, and could arguably be done in multiple ways.
Reorganizing UGSG on the basis on functionality would reduce redundancy within the tribunals
since currently each tribunal has an executive member for each function (marketing,
communication, and so on) and centralizing these functions would help bring all the tribunals in
more frequent contact with other parts of UGSG. Also, in the existing system, the tribunal
presidents are independent to run their tribunal as they wish, and do not report to any individual.
There is also no connection between the boards and UGSG Senate, beyond the four board
senators who give their reports at Senate meetings. The Internal Holdover Senator, who is part of
the Executive Board, is in charge of overlooking both the boards and the tribunals, but does not
have authority over either. What that means is although she can suggest things they could
possibly do, she cannot tell them what they should do. If the Internal Holdover Senator was
given authority over the tribunal presidents and they were required to report to her, there would
be more interaction between the tribunals and the rest of UGSG, thus strengthening the bond and
promoting enculturation. Similarly, if board presidents were given official positions within the
Executive Board, they would actually have a say in all the actions that UGSG takes, rather than
just being called in to share their opinions at meetings (which is the procedure at present).
Andrew Griggs, who is the current Vice-President of the student body agreed, I think that would
help a lot. By setting up more formal lines of authority between the tribunals, boards, and
Senate through amendments of the existing constitutions of each branch, UGSG could create

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stronger links amongst the branches. This would promote enculturation of parts that currently
dont identify to be under the umbrella of UGSG.
However, this extension of the hierarchy has its negatives. The tribunals are able to help
students on a more individual and direct basis because of this separation from the rest of the
student governing body. They are free to spend their funds wherever they think the funds would
be put to the best use to help the students in their particular college. Taking that freedom away
from them could adversely affect the organization as a whole, but not making it as effective in
helping the students. For example, say the College of Businesss tribunal spent $500 on giving
out padfolios for the career fair to the students in their college. Such expenditure would be
useless for the CCM (the College Conservatory of Music) or DAAP (Design, Architecture, Art,
Planning), because they dont have career fairs. Different parts of UGSG are focusing on
different things and it is important to give them the liberty to do so. It may thus be more
beneficial to have the executive members available as a support system to overlook the
operations of the tribunals and boards, but not necessarily to govern them.
A second way this reorganization could be done is by eliminating some of the hierarchy,
instead of adding on to it. As brought up by one of the at-large senators, the voice of the
President tends to hold more weight in Senate room discussions as compared to the voices of
other members of the body. Loosening some of these binding relationships may allow for more
equality amongst the members, and thus promote inclusivity. The drawback of this is that
hierarchy cannot be eliminated altogether, since it is required to hold the various members
accountable. It can be argued how effective this measure would be, and the consequences of such
a decision are uncertain.

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This seeming lack of group identity and enculturation of the individual members has been

identified by the Executive Board of UGSG as a problem. In order to combat these problems, the
Executive Board tried having executive meetings that were open to all members (not just those
on the Executive Board) but that initiative did not go well due to lack of attendance. When asked
whether this enculturation process was a responsibility of the executive members, Mitchell
Phelps, a current member of the Executive Board as the treasurer of UGSG responded, This
could potentially be under the role of [the] Director of Accountability. They could also be in
charge of helping foster the internal community (see Appendix E). He believes that this
responsibility should not be restricted to just the Executive Board but instead, should be more of
an overall effort by all members of the discourse community. Further research and conversations
with more members about their thoughts on solving this issue may prove useful to this
community in the future. Further research could also be done to find out how the UGSG as a
discourse community could be more inclusive of the student body as a whole, especially since it
seems that the students think better of tribunals than they do of student government, and many
dont think that well of tribunals (Lewnard).
Overall, the UGSG at the University of Cincinnati is a unique discourse community in
terms of its size, hierarchy, and composition, and could even be considered to house subdiscourse communities within its framework. Each tribunal and board has specific lexis that the
members use, but they are bound by the common goals of the UGSG to serve and represent the
students at UC. The individuals in this discourse community communicate through platforms
like their website, via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and Project Portal, and hold meetings at various
levels to hold themselves and their colleagues accountable. They communicate using
terminology and acronyms specific to their organization, and have various levels of members. It

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is true that today they struggle to make their members feel included, but the problem has been
identified and change is imminent.

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Works Cited
Ambalavanan, Manoj. E-mail interview. 20 Nov. 2015.
Blizzard, Samuel. E-mail interview. 21 Nov. 2015.
Drage, Dana. E-mail interview. 22 Nov. 2015.
Dulle, Olivia. Personal interview. 19 Nov. 2015.
Griggs, Andrew. Personal interview. 19 Nov. 2015.
Harnist, Jacob. Personal interview. 19 Nov. 2015.
Johns, Ann. "Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and
Diversity." Writing About Writing: A College Reader. 2nd ed. Ed. Elizabeth Wardle and
Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 499-518. Print.
Kirsch, Iain. E-mail interview. 21 Nov. 2015.
Komives, Susan R., Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon. Exploring Leadership: For
College Students Who Want to Make a Difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998.
Online.
Lewnard, John. Personal interview. 19 Nov. 2015.
Moore, Zachary. E-mail interview. 20 Nov. 2015.
Nunez, Veronica. E-mail interview. 20 Nov. 2015.
OConnor, Daniel. Personal interview. 19 Nov. 2015.
----------------------- Unpublished MS. University of Cincinnati, 2015.
Phelps, Mitchell. E-mail interview. 22 Nov. 2015.
Shemas, Sophie. E-mail interview. 20 Nov. 2015.
Student Government. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

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Swales, John. "The Concept of Discourse Community." Writing About Writing: A College
Reader. 2nd Ed. Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014.
215- 229. Print.
"The Student Council." The Harvard Crimson. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
Vidoli, Elizabeth. E-mail interview. 20 Nov. 2015.
Winget, Elysee. E-mail interview. 19 Nov. 2015.

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Appendices
Appendix A: Interview of Sam Blizzard (SGMPer)

1. Why did you decide to apply to be a pat of SGMP, and how did you find out about it?
My brother had been a member of Student Government, and my brother Jacob is currently on
SAB. I knew coming to UC that I wanted to get as involved as possible, and SGMP was the
perfect opportunity to get a look at what SG does and how I could get further involved.
2. What have you gained from being involved in this organization?
The largest thing has been the friendships and the amazing people I have gotten to meet and
spend time with. Every single person in SG is so passionate and friendly and willing to help, and
it's a really great atmosphere to be a part of. Additionally, I think I've learned a lot about how SG
works, what projects are being worked on, and how to get involved.
3. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization? (like
language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,) In other words, what does it mean to you to be
"literate" in this community of people?
SG can seem very complicated and large to newcomers, so I think having an understanding of
how Senate, Cabinet, boards, and tribunals all function and relate to each other is necessary.
Also, since SG is so large, meeting as many people as possible and feeling like you know more
people than you don't know will help with feeling as if you're literate in SG.
4. How do you think SG could be more inclusive of its members?
SG seems to place an extreme emphasis on Senate as compared to the other groups, which is odd
because Senate is only a small portion of all parts of SG. Given that, I think just working to make
sure the boards, cabinet, and tribunals are given opportunities to be a part of everything that is
happening and given a chance to be focused on, SG would be more inclusive in that sense. Also,
given SG's history of not having a large minority population, actively working to recruit from
minority populations would make SG more inclusive and more representative of the student
body.

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5. How do you communicate with other members of this organization? Are you able to easily
stay in touch with many of them or are there some you fail to actively interact with?
I mostly stay in touch via in-person communication. I try to stop by the SG office, go to senate
each week, and attend meetings and events so that I can talk with and learn about the other
members of SG. This doesn't reach everyone, but it keeps me involved and around a lot of
people.
6. In your opinion, what are the positives and negatives of SG as an organization?
Some positives are the incredible output and work that is done by everyone in SG to make UC as
great as it can be, as well as the strong bond SG members have with each other, which make
working together a lot more productive and fun. Some negatives are the lack of inclusiveness in
the different branches, and a sense of elitism that develops as part of being in a position of power
or as part of being a selective organization.

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Appendix B: Interview of Elysee Winget (At-Large Senator)

1. Why did you chose to become involved with Student Government? Do you enjoy being in this
role? If so, what's your favorite part?
2. What have you gained from being involved in this organization?
3. Do you feel like you're an active member? Why or why not?
4. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization? (like
language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,) In other words, according to you, what does it mean to
be "literate" in this organization?
5. How do you think SG could be more inclusive? How do you think SG could make itself more
accessible to the student body?
6. How do you communicate with other members of this organization?
1) I chose to become involved with student government because I wanted to make a difference
on our campus. I wanted to be part of the processes and represent the students to the best of my
ability. I definitely enjoy being in this role; it's the most rewarding thing I have done in my
college career. My favorite part is our weekly Senate meetings and discussing bills, especially
house bill legislation that we choose to endorse or oppose. Our voice is heard and i love being
part of that.
2) I've learned how to be a leader and more importantly how to be wrong. There are times I fall
short, whether that's in regards to being unprofessional or holding a stance that doesn't best
reflect the entire student body. However, I've been given the opportunity to grow through this
process and that, in and of itself, is incredible.
3) I do feel like I am an active member because I am also the chair of the governmental affairs
committee. This is one of the committees under student government and I write a large amount
of legislation due to this position. It keeps me involved when I am not working on my Senate
initiatives.
4) I do think understanding Robert's rules is extremely important. I personally had only sat in on

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a couple of meetings before being a Senator myself, so I highly recommend going to meetings
before being on Senate and asking questions from the gallery as to not be ignorant as I was when
you first join.
5) I think SG could be more inclusive by being more transparent. I wish that cabinet members
were regular members at our weekly meetings and that the environment was more open.
6) I communicate with other members via the Facebook page as well as project portal!

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Appendix C: Interview of Iain Kirsch (SGMPer)

1. Why did you chose to become involved with Student Government?

I wanted to become more involved at the University and I saw this as a unique opportunity to
meet the people who had an impact on what happened at UC. SGMP also gave me a way to
understand the entire system of Student government which will allow me to be able to
accomplish things on campus, because I know how to use the system to my advantage in the
future.
2. What have you gained from being involved in this organization?
I have met people who are active in UCs community and acquired mentors and built a larger
network. I have also learned that there are certain ways to approach red tape that will allow
the issue to be resolved in a better manner.
3. Do you feel like you're an active member? Why or why not?
No, I cannot obtain voting rights in any of the committees I am in even though I have attended
almost all of the meetings, simply because of my status as a freshman.
4. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization? (like
language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,) In other words, what does it mean to you to be
"literate" in this community of people?
You need to understand the structure of the organization. If you understand the structure, you
understand some of each persons motivations for their actions based on who they represent.
You also understand who can and cant do what. Roberts rules is really only necessary to
understand if you are a senator in my opinion.
5. How do you think SG could be more inclusive?
I think that student government could be more inclusive by letting more people know that
there is more to Student Government than just senate. For example, if you create a bill you
can get funding for your event which can promote any topic that you feel is necessary to
communicate to more students at the university. Awareness of that option would make student
government more inclusive through outside collaboration.
6. How do you communicate with other members of this organization? Are you able to easily
stay in touch with many of them or are there some you fail to actively interact with?

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SGMP has a Groupme and I text my mentor in SG in order to meet. I am easily able to
communicate with some groups, but not with others. For example, Governmental Affairs
Committee is not something that I can communicate with outside of meeting times.

Appendix D: Interview of Manoj Ambalavanan (UFB President)

1. Why did you choose to become involved with Student Government? In which roles have you
been active within the organization?

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I chose to be involved in Student Government because I saw it to be the organization on campus

with the greatest reach and net to impact the student and campus in the most positive way. I have
served as the director of community service, AVP of campus relations and the external VP and
President of UFB
2. Do you enjoy being in this role? What's your favorite part?
I have loved my time spent on UFB. My favorite part has been interacting with so many different
student groups and helping and educating them about how to receive funding. Moreover I get to
see and make decisions on a lot of the events that happen on campus so its not only important
but informative as well
3. What have you gained from being involved in this organization?
I have learned how to discuss and debate with many of our board members who have differing
opinions. I have learned how to stay consistent with our decisions and manage conflict all while
having fun and enjoying one anothers company.
4. Do you feel like you're an active member? Why or why not? Do the other members of your
board feel like they are included under the umbrella of SG?
I do feel like Im an active member and that may be because I have been in both Student
Government and UFB. Some members of my board do feel the same and that may be for similar
reasons. Other members who only participate in UFB don't feel as included and that may be
because they just do not interact with the other members in SG on a regular basis.
5. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization in your
particular area? (like language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,) In other words, what does it
mean to you to be "literate" in this community of people?
Robertss rules as well as a lot of language in our funding criteria. Our criteria dictates what we
do and the decisions we make on budgets. Knowing this document inside and out and the
language in it that pertains to budgets is the basis of UFB. The better you understand this
language the better you can make decisions and the better you can educate groups about this
information.

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6. How do you think SG could be more inclusive?

Respect and taking interest in one anothers roles. I think a lot of separation and stigmas lead to
different perspectives about certain parts of SG. If we just keep a more open mind I think well
all be able to integrate better and be more inclusive by default.

Appendix E: Interview of Mitchell Phelps (Treasurer)

1. Why did you chose to become involved with Student Government? - Because I noticed many
of the people I began to look up to had been very involved.

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2. What have you gained from being involved in this organization? - I have gained confidence!
Being able to interact with individuals on a professional manor and also respectfully disagreeing
with them every week.
3. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization? (like
language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,) In other words, what does it mean to you to be
"literate" in this community of people? You don't need to know anything really. All you truly
need is a passion for UC.
4. How do you think SG could be more inclusive of its members? Inviting more people to attend
our meetings!
5. How do you communicate with other members of this organization? Facebook messages,
groupme with exec, texting Ananya. Are you able to easily stay in touch with many of them or
are there some you fail to actively interact with? I rarely interact with members of cabinet!
6. What is Exec doing to help different parts of SG feel more included and like they are part of
the organization? Having open exec meetings but that only happened once and did not go well at
all. Is that truly the responsibility of the Executive members or do you think others should be
equally involved in this initiative also? Why or why not? This could potentially be under the role
of director of accountability. They could also be in charge of helping foster the internal
community.

Appendix F: Student Government Organization Structure at the University of Cincinnati

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Appendix G: Overview of the UGSG structure at the University of Cincinnati

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Student Government exists to improve the student experience at the University of Cincinnati. It
is composed of four main parts:

Executive Board - Composed of five elected officers, this body leads the several branches of
Student Government.
Senate - Senate is the legislative assembly of SG. They debate, propose, and vote on bills
impacting the student body.
Cabinet - Cabinet and the executive staff carry out initiatives and projects directly affecting
students.
Boards - Oversee various areas of student life, including safety, student organizations, and
organization funding.
Tribunals - Governing bodies within each college (such as DAAP, CAHS, CEAS, etc.) at UC.
[The University of Cincinnatis Student Government website - http://sites.ucfilespace.uc.edu/sg/]

Appendix H: Interview of Veronica Nunez (RHA Senator)

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1. Why did you choose to become involved with Student Government?

I was always involved in student council throughout grade school from 1st grade to senior year
of high school, and really enjoyed being the voice of students at my school. When I decided to
come to UC I know I wanted to stay involved in organizations like I was in high school, and I
started to look on how I could get involved in Student Government at UC. What really kept me
in SG after that first year was looking up to the older members in SG and seeing how much SG
can do. There were a few older members in SG who really welcomed me, and helped me see
potential in myself as a leader. Also seeing initiatives being done, and other great work that really
benefits students is what kept me involved in SG.
2. What have you gained from being involved in this organization?
From being involved in this organization I have seen myself develop a lot as a person and as a
leader. I was able to gain friends from this organization who have helped mentor me into a better
leader. I also pushed myself a lot as a leader and seen my potential. By this I mean that through
grade school although I was always involved in Student Council it was more planning
homecoming and events for my high school, but at UC we work on initiatives and projects that
actually help the student body here.
3. Do you feel like you're an active member? Why or why not?
I would consider myself a pretty active member of SG because it is my main priority in college
as I hold three different position within SG. I also try my best to stay engaged in SG whether that
is meetings, projects, or all the people involved.
4. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization? (like
language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,) In other words, what does it mean to you to be
"literate" in this community of people?
I think as far as language for Student Government Robert's rules is needed to be known, but not
when just starting. Robert's rules can be some times be hard to understand and definitely takes
time to learn. Having members learn Robert's rules of order is something I wish SG had more
patience and understanding of. I remember serving as an alternate for my FYLP mentor a few

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times my first year, and my first time I had no idea what "yield" or "retain" meant and I was
laughed at my first time at a senate meetings for using Robert's rules of order wrong. Robert's
rules is something I know well now, but a lot of new members do not and to feel included in SG
it would be helpful if people were more patient with people learning how to use these terms.
5. How do you think SG could be more inclusive?
I think SG could be more inclusive by having people in SG not seem as an "elite" organization
and that truly any student at the University of Cincinnati can be involved in SG. Another way SG
could be more inclusive comes from a lot of the internal problems of people in different parts of
SG know each other ex: tribunals members don't know cabinet, cabinet members don't know
board, etc. It's hard to be inclusive to the whole student body when it's an eternal issue that SG
has faced since I've been a first year.
6. How do you think SG could make itself more accessible to the student body?
SG could make itself more accessible by really showing students that we are here. For example
most students probably do not know where the Student Government office is on our campus. The
SG office is a space that students should be able to enter to come with concerns or ideas, but
having it on the 3rd floor of a building that all students typically don't go through has it not
very accessible.
7. Are you able to easily stay in touch with many people in SG or are there some you fail to
actively interact with?
I usually easily stay in touch with members in SG who I have meetings with each week ex:
senators from senate, SGMPers from SGMP weekly meetings, Campus life committee members
from our weekly meetings, and SAB members from our weekly meetings. It is sometimes hard to
keep in contact with members such as cabinet throughout the year as we typically are only one
meeting together each year which is the yearly student government retreat. Having more times
that all members of SG are together would definitely help this problem.

Appendix I: Interview of Sam Hissett (Director Cabinet Member)

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1. Why did you choose to become involved with Student Government? In which roles have you
been active within the organization?
I chose to become involved with Student Government because I saw it as an avenue that allows
me to make a greater impact on the University as a whole. I first became involved with Student
Government last year as a part of their First Year Leadership Program, and am currently serving
as the Director of Transportation Services within Cabinet.
2. Do you enjoy being in this role? What's your favorite part?
I enjoy my current role as Director of Transportation Services because it allows me to make a
direct impact on one area of the University, without any publicity. My favorite part of this role
has been the many initiatives I have been able to be a part of, because I know the positive change
they will break about the student body as a whole.
3. What have you gained from being involved in this organization?
I have gained many close friendships and connections throughout the University from being
involved in this organization, as well as experience dealing with many professional
4. Do you feel like you're an active member? Why or why not?
Yes, I feel like an active member in the organization because of the multiple meetings I attend
per week, whether they are Senate meetings or meetings for specific initiatives I am working on.
Also, being a part of the Facebook group
5. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization? (like
language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,)
You need to be aware of the constitutional by-laws, as well as the jargon that is used in Senate
meeting.
6. How do you think SG could be more inclusive?
Student Government could be more inclusive by including additional individuals who represent

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minority groups on campus, whether that is within Senate or within a separate committee that is
formed.
7. How do you think SG could make itself more accessible to the student body?
Student Government could make itself more accessible to the student body as a whole by
providing a monthly update on the initiatives Student Government is working on, as well as
encouraging students to attend Senate meetings and get involved with their respective college
Tribunals.
8. How do you communicate with other members of this organization?
I communicate with other members of this organization through email and text most often, but
when I am attempting to reach out to Student Government as a whole, I usually utilize the
Facebook group.

Appendix J: Interview of Sophie Shemas (Director Cabinet Member)

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1. I decided to get involved in Student Government because I was involved in the gender equity
activism community at UC, and I wanted to start making progress towards that on a larger scale.
I wasn't really seeing that being done in Student Government in the past, so I figured I'd apply
and see if I could change that.
2. I've gained a lot more than I expected! I would say the most important thing for me is that
Student Government has spurred a lot of my own personal growth. I've learned a lot more about
working within a governmental system to achieve social change. It's helped me decide what kind
of activist I want to be, what I truly care about, and has helped me reexamine my sense of self in
a lot of ways.
3. I was worried first about not knowing Robert's Rules or how to write a bill and whatnot, but I
don't think that's necessary in my position. I think it's much more important to have some
knowledge of the structure of our university and the structure of Student Government to know
who to go to about certain things. To be literate at a base level is just to be aware of those
structures and know how/where you fit.
4. I don't think Student Government has issues with blatant exclusivity, but I think we have to
work more on actively supporting and listening to one another, whether that be in the form of
conversation, going to events, etc. We have to show interest in what other people are doing,
whether it's on our platform or not. It's such a huge organization that it's easy to get lost if you
are consumed with your own work and don't have time or don't try to engage with people you
don't already know well. I think if we work on that, we can then tackle any issues of people
feeling excluded on the basis of identity.
5. I keep in touch with people fairly easily. I think most of my interaction and communication
happens at meetings or in the office, but I also talk to people a lot over texting, SG GroupMe
messages, Facebook messages, or just over email. I feel like I always have a way to get in touch
with someone in Student Government and that people feel like they can easily keep in touch with
me. I will say that there are some people in Student Government that I haven;t even had the

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chance to talk to, but I feel like that's mostly been because I haven't necessarily needed to.
6. For me, one of the biggest positives of SG is the people I've gotten to work. Everyone is so
motivated and focused on creating positive change for our university, and it's helped keep me
motivated as well. Student Government has also helped me develop a really unique connection to
UC as a whole. I think one of the only negatives I see in the organization is that we tend to cater
to students who are already involved on campus. There are a lot of students that aren't involved
in anything at UC, and it's really hard for us to reach them because our current connections are
with the more active students.

Appendix K: Interview of Akshayaa Venkatakrishnan (AVP Cabinet)

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1. Why did you choose to become involved with Student Government? In which roles have you
been active within the organization?
I was involved in student council in high school, and it was a great way to help students and
learn about leadership. My first year of college, I was in FYLP and organized a service project
with Spring in our Steps; last year I was Assistant to the Vice President, and this year I'm the
AVP of Student Interests.
2. Do you enjoy being in this role? What's your favorite part?
I love my role; I get to work with eight incredibly dedicated and passionate individuals and learn
a lot of identity and student issues in the process. My favorite part is getting to catch up on the
work that my directors do; I've made eight wonderful friends in the process.
3. What have you gained from being involved in this organization?
I've learned a lot about diverse leadership styles and it's been great to see people who are so
different in their personalities, plans and perspectives work together to make campus and our
community a better place.
4. Do you feel like you're an active member? Why or why not?
My activity has definitely increased as the years passed, and I think I'm more active than before
because my eyes have been open to more needs of students, which makes me want to do more to
address those needs.
5. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization? (like
language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,) In other words, what does it mean to you to be
"literate" in this community of people?
Robert's Rules are pretty important if you're a member of Senate; otherwise, most forms of
communication include email and social media (GroupMe, Facebook, Twitter, etc). Something
unique to SH is Project Portal, which is the server where all current, completed and frozen
projects are centrally documented.

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6. How do you think SG could be more inclusive?

I think we need to take a good hard look at how we are attracting new members and what makes
our organization appealing in the first place; that's probably the first steps towards an inclusive
organization.
7. How do you think SG could make itself more accessible to the student body?
I think we've done a great deal of work this year to analyze what our organization means to the
student body; we need to continue this momentum by listening to students and truly addressing
what they want out of student government.
8. How do you communicate with other members of this organization? Are you able to easily
stay in touch with many of them or are there some you fail to actively interact with?
Usually I communicate through email, text, and phone call. I usually only interact with those
who are working on projects that are of interest to me or just to check in on progress, so there's a
large part of our membership that I am not in touch with, which just might be the nature of my
role.

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Appendix L: Interview of Liz Vidoli (Nursing Senator)
1. Why did you chose to become involved with Student Government? In which roles have you
been active within the organization? : my freshman year was a rough transition to college. In
high school I had my group of friends and was involved. I felt like I was missing leadership and
wanted to get involved. Second semester I decided to run for nursing tribunal senator! It was a
good leadership opportunity and I wanted to help making the CON better.
2. Do you enjoy being in this role? What's your favorite part? I love getting to think of events
and things that nursing students would really enjoy and benefit from. The simplest things, such
as keurigs and geofilters, make them happy! I just like making people happy!
3. What have you gained from being involved in this organization? I have learned so much, not
only about our school, but also about myself. I've learned what's going on on campus, and I've
learned a lot about professionalism and the way our campuses student government is run.
4. Do you feel like you're an active member? Why or why not? I definitely feel like an active
member. I do a lot for our tribunal, and usually run meetings. I keep everything organized. I've
also been speaking up in senate about things I feel confident in. I like to speak on things that I
have a good understanding of and can contribute to conversation.
5. What do you think you need to know/be aware of to be part of this organization? (like
language-wise, rules -Robert's rules, etc,) coming into senate, I knew absolutely nothing. I think
the most important thing is that it looks more intimidating than it is, and it's ok to speak up!
Roberts rules are confusing, but it's something you have to learn as you go, and people always
mess up! Laugh it off and learn!
6. How do you think SG could be more inclusive? I think we need a bigger meeting room with
more gallery seating. We need to promote that our meetings are open and if students have a
problem they want fixed, they can come to us! I just don't think it's well known that they can
come to our meetings and ask for things.

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7. How do you think SG could make itself more accessible to the student body? I think we need
to promote our meetings whether it be through social media, or flyers. It makes me feel good
when people come in and ask for help with fixing something, and were able to. That's what we're
really here for.
8. How do you communicate with other members of this organization? I communicate mostly by
email. Sometimes I'm really bad at responding right away (full email inboxes stress me out so
sometimes I just let them sit there :) not the best idea)