Graduate Assistant, Student Government Association

Chapman University Careers•Irvine, CA

12h

About The Position

The Graduate Assistant assists with the advising and development of the undergraduate Student Government Association ( SGA ). Under direction from the Manager, Student Activities, responsibilities include, but are not limited to, developing and administering leadership trainings, advising the Senate body, Director of Senate, Director of Public Relations, and Director of Operations on projects and addressing any issues that arise. The Graduate Assistant is a member of the Department of Student Engagement and the Division of Student Affairs.

Requirements

Enrollment in a Ph.D. or Master’s degree program, preferably focused on leadership development or higher education and student affairs.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience, at the graduate or undergraduate level, with student governance, student organizations, and/or student leadership development preferred.

Responsibilities

Leadership Training Develop, implement, and assess ongoing leadership trainings for the different SGA branches and committees that contribute to student learning and development.
Assist SGA members with adhering to University resources, policies, and procedures (for example those related to event and facility use policy, fiscal policy, social media guidelines, and student group policy).
Advising Advise SGA’s Senate, including, but not limited to: attending weekly Senate meetings on Fridays from 1:30-3:30pm, meeting one-on-one with senators to discuss their initiatives, meeting with Senate task forces, providing resources, ideas, and alternative perspectives to help advance projects.
Advise the Director of Senate in coordinating weekly Senate meetings and campus-wide elections. This includes assisting them with agenda structure, Robert’s Rules of Order, establishing the election calendar, election events, setting up the ballot, presiding over the Elections Committee, ensuring the Election Protocol is followed, and generally supporting an active and accurate election.
Advise the Director of Public Relations, including supporting and communicating a strong SGA presence on campus, reviewing social media releases as needed, and making connections between SGA and other campus marketing outlets.
Advise the Director of Operations with the logistical and operational needs of the organization. This includes assisting with event coordination, systems access, and student support staff coordination.
Act as a neutral advisor, offering multiple perspectives and allowing students to make final decisions, except in the case of policy or legal violations.
Organizational Development Develop deep knowledge of SGA’s operating documents, serving as a resource to help them interpret and apply policies as needed, as well as indicating areas where more clarification is needed.
Assist with organizational compliance reviews on university policy, state, and federal laws.
Administrative Attend weekly meetings with supervisor.
Participate in and contribute to Department of Student Engagement programs, services, experiences, and resources as determined by supervisor.
Maintain positive working relationships with campus partners from academic/administrative departments.
Other duties as assigned.