You may notice on your account statement for the upcoming semester a fee called “Student Senate Fee.” You might be wondering, what is that for? Well, Student Senate is the student government body at Redeemer, which is a little bit like your high school student council but with a lot more responsibility (and maybe a lot more fun too)! We act as a liaison between students and administration and provide funding for a variety of clubs and activities, as well as handle the contract with the Redeemer bus system. Our vision is to glorify God through all of our actions, seeking to advance His kingdom and to promote a spirit of service within the student body. Because this is a very broad scope, we narrow it down into thirteen positions filled by dedicated students.
We have a President (that’s me, Danica), who chairs our meetings, provides direction, and regularly meets with administration. We have three vice presidents: Finance (TBD), who handles the budgets for clubs and advises on financial issues; Student Affairs (Keith), who brings student concerns to Senate, assists the President, and organizes panels; and Communications (Hayley), who handles all correspondence through [email protected], puts announcements in the daily Timeout email, sends out weekly emails, and manages the Senate Facebook Page. We have two committee chairs: our Spiritual Activities and Services Committee (SASC) Chair (Laura), who runs events such as 24/7 Prayer Week, Hotspot, and Fall and Winter Retreat; and our Activities Chair (Jackie) who puts on events such as Coffeehouse, Harvest Hoedown, and Banquet.
Last but not least, we also have three first year senators who each serve as an assistant to one of the vice presidents and sit on either the SASC or Activities Committees (helping with event planning) as well as plan a fundraiser each year for Senate’s sponsored child, Thongdee. These are positions that you can apply for at the beginning of the year, and we will choose candidates in early September. I encourage you to think about applying, as it is a fantastic opportunity to get to know other students and find out about some of the “inner workings” of Redeemer. As well, there is a bit of an honorarium (read: money!) as an incentive. The time commitment is about 4-5 hours a week, with 3 hours, which can be spaced out, in the Senate Office being available to help students, and 1-2 hours every Tuesday night at 10pm for our weekly Senate Meeting. I can honestly say I’ve had a blast working with Senate for the past two years, and I hope you consider applying! Very soon you will receive a package in the mail from Redeemer. In it you’ll find a letter from yours truly and an application form with instructions.
Want to know more about Senate? You can visit us at www.redeemer.ca/senate or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RUCStudentSenate
Want to know more about clubs you can join? Check out http://www.redeemer.ca/life/studentActivities/clubsAndOutreach.aspx, and if you click on the club name you can email the club leader with any questions you have about getting involved!
I hope you have a fantastic rest of the summer, and I am excited to meet you!
Danica Thomsen