Applications for 2016 – 2017 Student Government leadership positions opened Monday morning and will close Feb. 15.

Open positions include student body president, student body vice president, student senators and executive board. In order to run for any Student Government position, students must go online and fill out an intent form. Students must be in “good standing” with the university, meaning that they have to be void of any academic probation, past or present suspensions or academic integrity probation.

Those who wish to run do not have to have any experience with Student Government. 

“One of my biggest goals in the Chair of Elections is for people outside Student Government to run,” said Gavin Harrison, a senior studying biological sciences and chair of the Board of Elections. “We always have the same members running, and it’s open to everyone. There are 78 seats, so there is definitely room for a lot of people to run.”

Once all students have filled out the necessary materials, they can begin their week of campaigning Feb. 22. The week-long campaign length is a recent change from the former campaign time, which was longer. 

“People would be campaigning so hard,” Harrison said. “We think it’s necessary that, while it’s good for students to be involved in Student Government, we want them to do well in their classes too.”

Current Student Body President Khari Cyrus offered some advice to those during campaign week. 

“My biggest recommendation for all those looking to jump in the race for student body president is to remember why you’re running,” Cyrus said. “Campaigning may very well be one of the longest, most-stressful weeks of your college career, but if you think back to why you’re running and what motivates you, you’ll find that energy to push through. You may be tempted to spend all day campaigning, but go to class, sleep, eat and stay healthy.” 

However, some students thought this change would make it harder to gather information prior to voting. 

“It seems like voters would have less time to evaluate candidates, but it’s still likely most will make an informed decision,” said Benjamin Newman, a sophomore studying electrical engineering.

Students can learn more about candidates during the campaign by attending some of the debates, according to Harrison.

The Technician will be hosting a student body president and vice president debate Feb. 25 in the Talley Governance Chambers at 6:30 p.m. 

Harrison said some items candidates are likely to discuss include diversity and University Dining.

Voting begins Feb. 29 and ends March 1. Voting is conducted via an online ballot. This year, the Student Board of Elections plans to allow students access to a list of all the candidates with more information on their stances on issues and their overall platform while voting.

For more information on candidate requirements and dates, students can go to sg.students.ncsu.edu.