At 10 a.m. today, the books once again open to accept the names of candidates wanting to run for an office in the Student Senate, or even the offices of student body president, treasurer or Student Senate president.
According to Forrest Hinton, Student Senate president, if students are only interested in running for a seat in the Senate, students can fill out the forms to run online.
However, if interested in one of the major positions in Student Government, candidates need to either print out the forms online and turn in the completed forms to the office, or go into the Student Government Office and fill out the forms there and turn them in.
Hinton said students should think seriously before signing up to run for office.
“This job is definitely not a walk in the park,” Hinton said. “I wake up everyday and never know what is going to happen.”
Hinton said he has enjoyed his term as Student Senate president, but said he is happy that soon he can return to a normal schedule in his life.
“Next semester I will be student teaching; I’m looking forward to having a bit more control in my life, knowing when I’ll be able to go to sleep and get up the next morning,” Hinton said.
But the job isn’t all stress. Hinton said he is glad for the experience he gained while in his position.
“You get to meet a lot of new people and a lot of the administration for the University; you get a real picture of what N.C. State is all about,” Hinton said. “It helps you to grow as a person. It helped me learn how to relate to any kind of problem.”
Hinton also wanted to state that those interested in running really need to look at the reasons why they want to run for office.
“If you’re doing it just to have a title or a paycheck, you’re doing it for all the wrong reasons,” Hinton said. “You have to want to help people, even if you can’t always make a difference.”
Seneca Toms, the student body treasurer, said he agreed the position is a hard job, but a great learning experience.
“You learn a great deal about budgeting, financing and accounting,” Toms said. “But the job is all about integrity and being trustworthy, and this is definitely a good way to showcase those traits.”
As the student body treasurer, Toms is in charge of working with the administrators, executive and judicial boards and the Senate while trying to allocate the budget to different University functions.
“The job is thankless, but definitely a very important job. Without it, there wouldn’t be a Student Government,” Toms said. “It is always great to help students, and getting to see the results and how they are using the money given to them and their organizations.”
The position of student body president may require the most dedication of them all.
Whil Piavis decided to run for the position in fall 2004; and wanting to get the public interested in the election process, he took on his famous identity, The Pirate Captain.