The Student Union Board of Governors has a new constitution, including bringing about more leadership to the board. (Charlotte Lao/The Daily Campus)
The Student Union Board of Governors has a new constitution. Last month during joint elections, SUBOG asked the student body to vote on new changes to the organization’s current structure. Every four years, the SUBOG constitution is up for referendum and this year, the executive board found some things they want to change. If they want to make a final change, they must have students approve of those changes.
For those who don’t know, SUBOG is one of many Tier III organizations that exist on campus. Tier III organizations, like SUBOG and the Daily Campus, are independently funded via the student activity fee and as a result are first and foremost beholden to members of the student body. More specifically, SUBOG is a programming board that plans various activities for students throughout the semester including comedy shows, concerts, bus trips and Late Night programs. Homecoming, One Ton Sundae and UCONNIC are all major events put on by SUBOG for the student body.
The new changes to the constitution bring about more leadership to the SUBOG board. One of the main changes is the creation of the vice president of membership development position. The goal of this position is to promote leadership skills among SUBOG members. This will help members rise into the role of being leader.
Tier III organizations are special. We are organizations that get to exist and function almost 100 percent independently because we are funded by student fees. As mentioned earlier, that makes us beholden only to the student body. The student body, however, doesn’t just include those Tier III constituents, it also includes Tier III members. A lot of people forget that Tier III’s exist to serve all students, including those in its organization.
By changing its constitution, SUBOG is reaffirming its mission as a Tier III organization to serve all members of the student body. The vice president of membership development position will help incubate new leaders and give real world experience to those who want it. It is an important decision and one that should be supported by all.
Amar Batra is a senior staff photographer and weekly columnist for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email amar.batra@uconn.edu. He tweets at @amar_batra19.