Executive Branch New Members

Synopsis of USG:

USG is one of the three student governments at OSU (the other two being the Council of Graduate Students and the International Student Council).  Its primary objective is to advocate programs on behalf of fellow Buckeyes and to serve as the bridge between the student body and legislation enacted by the University Senate and Board of Trustees.  There are innumerous roles USG plays in advocating the desires of OSU's student body, so this page will attempt to give an efficient overview of the key roles it plays, its hierarchy, and the process of applying. 

For USG New Members and Applicants:

Applications:

In order to join USG, you must apply via our application page (https://usg.osu.edu/get-involved) in the beginning of an Autumn or Spring semester.  It is essential in the application process not to emphasize your academics, but rather, a passion and devotion to improving the state of the university—preferably around a particular vision.  To ensure the organization runs efficiently, the application process is competitive; in the most recent applicant pool, roughly 70 of 300 applicants were accepted into the organization.  But this should not dissuade you from applying!  It should only serve as an incentive to ensure your application is thorough and well-thought out, with strong emphasis on specific things you would like to accomplish.

First Joining:

When you are accepted into USG, you will be appointed as a Committee Representative (CR) for an Operations or Issues Committee of your choice.  Each Operations Committee (OC) or Issue Committee (IC) dedicates itself to a different component of the university.  The six ICs that currently exist are: Academic Affairs, Government Relations, Healthy & Safety, Justice & Equity, Student Affairs, and Sustainability.  The five OCs that currently exist are: Community Relations, Data Management, Internal Operations, Recruitment, and Research. You will be placed into the OC/IC that best fits your interest; although you designate your preferred committee in your application, you can attend meetings for various ones that seem interesting and do not have to make your decision immediately.

As a CR, you work on various projects for the people who govern committees (Deputy Directors and Directors).  This is the place to establish a solid footing in USG, to flexibly work on passion projects, and to begin to build your network.

Moving Up:

Existing CRs will have the opportunity to apply for new positions at the end of each Spring semester, and they should do so based on which roles they believe they are most qualified for.  Any role above Deputy is considered part of USG's Central Leadership Team (CLT).  Roles that are higher than CR but lower than Director (namely, deputy-director, liaison, or coordinator roles) have a strong emphasis on applicational materials; roles which are at or above the Director level have a strong emphasis on a strong interview as well as having working experience with those in high leadership positions.  Elections occur at the end of each Spring semester; the newly-elected President and Vice-President will appoint a Senior Staff to comprise the upper-most functioning body of USG.  Other positions you run for include General Assembly positions, which will be detailed in a different section.