Student senator offers advice to the Valley
Welcome, or welcome back to Hudson Valley Community College for the Fall 2017 semester! After the great Welcome Week, it is time to explore the numerous opportunities that our campus has to offer. On campus you can find over 50 student lead clubs and organizations to join.
An organization on campus that involves numerous students is the Student Senate. The Senate is the student-lead governing organization for the students. Senate is open to every student on campus. It meets every Monday at 2 pm in CTR 150.
Freshman students can petition and run for freshman class president or become a freshman senator. After the Freshman Elections, freshman can apply and be appointed to the Senate like senior senators.
To be appointed as a senior senator, you must write a letter detailing your reasons behind joining senate. You must also state some agendas you want to accomplish on Student Senate. The letter has to go the Executive Board members who then meet with you. After that, you would talk to the whole Senate and they would discuss and vote on your appointment.
The numerous clubs that HVCC has to offer cover a vast array of topics. Many clubs are major specific, but students interested in the topic can also join. For example, there is the Mortuary Science Student Association, Radiologic Technology Club, all the way to the Society of Refrigeration (Mechanics) Technicians. Some clubs on campus are for students to gather and have a fun time, like the Ski and Snowboard Club or the Cosplay Club.
Whereas many clubs focus on having a positive impact on the surrounding community, like the the Red Cross Club and the Habitat for Humanity Club, other clubs focus on increasing school spirit, like the Pep Band Club and the Cheerleading and Pep Squad.There is even a club for international students.
In addition to these clubs, HVCC offers clubs for students to connect with their heritage and religion, such as the Jewish Student Union, Muslim Student Association and the Student Christian Association.
Even more clubs are listed online at http://www.hvcc.edu/studentactivities/clubact.html. There you can find the contact information for club advisors to find out more about any club on campus.
Joining a club is one of the best ways to set yourself apart from peers after HVCC. Being active in clubs and organizations where you can meet numerous new people and create friendships that will last forever is a wonderful opportunity.
Most clubs meet once a week, whereas other clubs meet every other week (like Enternrepurnship Club, which meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, from 2 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. in BRN 104.)
Other governing organizations that affect students and have student representation are the Board of Trustees, the Faculty Student Association, and The Foundation.
The Board of Trustees does many different things for the college community, and it is a ten-member board with one student representative (Nathanael Savasta). Currently, the board is busy searching for the new college president.
The Faculty Student Association (FSA) is also a board that has three student representatives (Max Morand, Jaquan Rouse and Thomas Berj Nevins).
The FSA borrows money for the college, runs the bookstore and daycare and also holds the contracts for the foodservice and vending, among many other things.
The Foundation has one student representative (Kyle Hudson), and it helps with new building projects, scholarships and also many other activities within the college community.
This is just a few different ways to be involved on campus and to engage with the community. Your experience at Hudson Valley can be amazing if you try new actives and join great clubs.
– Thomas Nevins