Communication,

Representation, and
Recommendations:
An assessment of the Student Government
Association's new representation structure

December 8, 2021
Nancie Mohedano
Olivia Monteiro
Ricky Valladares
Ana Velazquez
Executive Summary

The Student Government Association (SGA) passed legislation during the 2020-
2021 academic year that changed the representative structure. Starting in the
fall semester of 2021, each academic college has at least one senator to represent
the needs of students in the respective college. With that, there was also an
expectation that senators would be in communication with the respective
college’s dean for support regarding any of the college’s concerns.

During fall 2021, the first semester that this new model was implemented, our
team conducted a needs assessment to determine what was going well and
establish what area(s) may need improvement or adjustment. Based on initial
conversations with our client, the assessment focused on communication
between the senators and academic college deans for the colleges they were
representing. Data collection included surveys for deans and senators and
individual and group interviews with senators.

Findings from academic senators and SGA leadership indicated that the new
model provides better representation of academic colleges and is more inclusive.
However, they did indicate struggles in connecting with academic deans and
student constituents for the colleges they represent. Academic senators
indicated receiving limited training for their positions.

Recommendations include expanding onboarding process, enhancing

communication with academic deans and student constituents, amending the
bylaws, and creating an action plan when new senators are elected in the spring.

2
Introduction and SGA Background
Student government association is an important part of the university student body.
The NIU SGA was created in 1968 to help students have a voice on campus, especially
when there is an issue (NIU, n.d.). SGA has three branches: executive, legislative, and
judicial. This assessment project focused on the legislative branch which includes
senators, speaker of the senate, and deputy speaker of the senate. The senate is
integral to SGA as they are responsible for SGA budget and creation of legislation
(NIU, n.d.). Elections take place every spring semester and leadership begins in the
fall semester following summer break.

Prior to fall 2021, senator representation was demarcated by geographical location

(e.g., certain neighborhoods or streets). This caused some over-representation of
some constituents and under-representation of others. The new model was approved
during spring of 2021 semester to be implemented the following fall semester. The
new model consists of representation for areas on campus such as colleges, housing,
dining, underrepresented identities, campus at large, and the graduate school for a
total of 30 senators.

The purpose of this assessment project was to identify ways SGA representatives were
communicating with and representing the academic colleges. Additionally, the
purpose was to review the new structure of the SGA senate and assess what needs
improvement and what was successful.

3
Student Leadership Skills and SGA

Students holding leadership roles within student organizations are more likely to gain
insightful leadership skills (Cansoy, 2017). These leadership skills include “problem-
solving skills, goal setting, group skills, group values, communication skills,
motivation, social and moral responsibility, conflict management, self-knowledge,
stress management, emotional awareness, self-regulation, self-management,
management skills, being a model, critical thinking skills, taking risks, and causing
positive changes” (Cansoy, 2017, p. 68). Through the involvement of student
organizations, senators can gain transferable leadership skills, increase civic
engagement, and improve the psychological well-being of others.

Through the involvement of student organizations on campus, many students such as

senators in SGA, will gain transferable skills to other roles. Higher education has a
responsibility to its students to provide roles and experiences that will allow the
student to gain leadership skills (Cansoy, 2017). As many institutions offer a vast
number of student organizations for their students to join, students will be asked to
step up to roles and learn from their experiences. Senators in SGA are more likely to
be involved in other student organizations as it will allow them the opportunity to
grow and use their gained skills to fulfill their roles.

Being involved within the student government association allows student leaders to
gain transferable skills to other roles, but also increase civic engagement. SGA
senators are expected to know about the needs of their constituents and advocate on
behalf of their community. Civic engagement covers a range of occurrences that
“describes the ways students grow over time to acquire civil knowledge, skills,
commitments, and identities that prepare them to interact with fellow community
members” (Trolian & Barnhardt, 2017, p. 142). In the case of senators, they can gain
important skills in learning more about their communities, networking needed to
learn about matters affecting their communities, and how to best represent their
needs. These important communication and interpersonal skills are transferable
skills for students to positions outside and after college.

By being involved through different areas of their institution, senators involved on

campus can use gained knowledge and input of others to increase psychological well-
being of others. Three main aspects of well-being that students gain from cocurricular
involvement within their institution such as personal growth, positive relationships
with others, and a purpose in life (Kilgo et al., 2016). Senators look for different ways
to be involved within their campus, especially through different student
organizations. Through hands on interaction with other students from student
organizations, it allows senators to gain an understanding from other students of the
overall campus climate and bring awareness about certain matters. This allows those
senators to represent the student body in a more accurate way.

4
Methods of Research
The purpose of this assessment project was to learn about how the senators were
communicating with and representing their academic colleges. Data collection
included benchmarking other institutions’ SGA structure, distributing a survey to
senators and deans, and conducting individual and group interviews. We
benchmarked Carnegie classification, total student enrollment, vision statements,
name of SGA, number of senators, senator responsibilities, training, and whether
they represented academic colleges for seven different institutions. This information
was used to help develop questions for the interviewing and survey component and
recommendations to provide.

Individual and group virtual interviews were conducted with six individuals via Zoom
or Teams. The interview participants included two returning senators, two new
senators, and two members that held leadership positions within the student
government association. Interviews were recorded and lasted between nine and 28
minutes. Question themes included how senators navigate this new model, what their
training was like, and how they communicate with their respective dean. See
Appendix A and B for protocol.

Qualtrics surveys were distributed to the five academic college deans, seven new
senators, and three returning senators via email. While slightly different, the surveys
covered topics such as communication methods, being aware of respective senators
and academic college deans, and what the onboarding process for senators. See
Appendix C for the survey instrument distributed to academic deans and Appendix D
for the one distributed to the senators. The response rate for the academic deans was
40% (n=2) and 80% (n=8) for the senators.

Findings
The findings are described in four parts 1) onboarding and training, 2)
communication and representation, 3) improvement of representation, and 4) the
senator election policy/process. The following shares information gathered during
the interviews and surveys.

1) Onboarding and Training

Although there was a general awareness of the roles as a new senator and the new
model, onboarding and training is needed to help navigate these roles and
responsibilities as a senator in the SGA. Although there was knowledge of how the
new model is organized, there appears to be a disconnect in knowledge about how to
go about fulfilling the duties of the roles of the new model.

5
Onboarding and Training Experiences
During the group interview with the two new senators, New Senator 1 stated there
was not a formal onboarding process. New Senator 1 shared:

As far as having an onboarding process, the only thing that I was aware of was
there was like an informational kind of meeting before our first meeting that
we could attend just to learn how a senate meeting kind of works and the rules,
and the bylaws and stuff like that but there wasn’t really an onboarding process
besides that first general meeting to kind of get us accustomed to what we
should expect.

New Senator 2, shared having a one-on-one meeting with a SGA leader, stating “we
just kind of went over like what it means when people like say certain terminology in
the senate and just kind of how the meetings run but not too much after that.”

The returning senators shared that there was no formal training process in
transitioning to the new model. However, the returning senators described how they
were informed about the changes to the model. Returning Senator 1 shared, “I don’t
recall getting any specific training I do remember last year a layout seeing how they
were gonna set it up, so I had an idea of where I was gonna be sitting.” Returning
Senator 2, stated “we were just kind of told what it was you know what kind of things
we should do.” Returning Senator 2 indicated that they were told “get in contact with
your dean, be in contact with other senators that represent the same college.” Overall,
they indicated receiving little training on their new roles.

As described by SGA Leader 1, “It wasn’t any kind of formal training because we were
all just kind of talking about it all the time, we could just talk about what was going
on.” SGA Leader 1 stated that the model was introduced to the senate prior to voting
on it and the deputy senator also discussed the changes with the senators during their
individual monthly meetings. Therefore, as explained by SGA Leader 1, the returning
senators knew about the model because they voted on it together and “we discussed it
at length during those meetings and those minutes should be publicly available on
Huskie Link.” Although not related to the new model, SGA Leader 2 expressed their
experiences and observations with not receiving any training or materials to transition
between roles within the senate. Therefore, there is minimal training in the transition
of roles within the senate as well as new roles.

Learning to Navigate New Roles and New Model

New Senators 1 and 2 explained that they have learned to navigate their role so far
mainly by just being in the role. New Senator 1 stated, “I’ve kind of learned to navigate
just by doing honestly, like just being in the role is kind of how you learn as a new
senator.” The most helpful resource in learning how to navigate was stated to be the
other senators “who’ve been in this position longer than us” for both senators.

For the returning senators who were in the Senate in the spring, Returning Senator 1
stated that it was an easy transition since they were a senator last year. Returning

6
Senator 2 stated that they have access to the minutes from the meetings held about
the changes to review when needed, which are posted on Huskie Link.

Onboarding Training Suggestions

The new senators interviewed shared that they would have benefited from more
training for their new positions. This included receiving more information about the
roles and expectations of the senators. New Senator 1 explained:

I would just say more of a description of what exactly being what being a
senator really means the expectations that you that SGA has for you know
and you know representing NIU also kind of just like a rundown of how to
create legislation because we can but I don’t think everyone knows how
exactly we do that, or you know that kind of process.

New Senator 2 shared similar thoughts, stating that more formal information,
“something they could share with people who join late would be good like just to have”
such as what it means to be a senator, their roles, how to create legislation, what the
terms mean, how to run meetings and “what to say for certain things and what they
mean.” New Senator 1 and 2 stated the ways this information could be shared included
a PowerPoint, online or “even just like a binder or folder that you give each senator I
think that would be really helpful.”

2) Communication and Representation

Consistency and guidelines regarding how senators represent the college and work
with the deans were needed to streamline the process and improve communication
and representation.

Frequency, Method and Preferences for Contacting Deans

Seven of the eight senators stated they knew who their college dean was. However, on
a later question on the survey, that senator was able to identify their dean by name;
thus, the answer of “no” on the survey might have been an error.

The following figures detail the responses from the senators regarding what method
the senators are using to communicate with their respective deans (figure 1), how
often the respondents were communicating (figure 2), and ideally how often they
would find it necessary to meet with their respective dean (figure 3). Overall, most
senators are communicating with their respective dean via email and feel that there
should be at least monthly, if not more often, communication with their respective
dean.

7
Figure 1: Communication Approach Figure 2. Communication Frequency

Figure 3. Preferred Frequency of Meetings. Figure 4. Comparison between Interactions

Figure 4 compares responses from the senators regarding how they are currently
interacting with their respective deans and how they would prefer to interact with
their respective deans in the future. Most prefer to have individual meetings (7),
however, currently only 4 senators have meet with their deans. In addition to the
survey, Returning Senator 1 and 2 stated they contact the deans via email, one stated
they set up meetings either in-person or online and the other stated they meet online.

One of the deans from the Colleges completed the survey in its entirety and one
completed the first half. Of the data that was obtained, both deans stated they were
aware of the new model for the SGA, one did know who their SGA senator
representative is, and one did not. In terms of communication, the dean who
completed the survey stated they use email, face-to-face and virtual meetings to
communicate with their respective senator and interact on a one-on-one basis as
needed.

Scheduling and Responsiveness: Challenges and Meeting Feedback

Several of the senators interviewed expressed challenges with scheduling meetings
and receiving responses from their respective deans via email. Coordinating multiple
senators’ schedules that represent the same college with the dean’s schedule to meet at
the same time to avoid multiple meetings was identified as a challenge.

Other examples of difficulty expressed by the participants during their interviews

included one senator not having a contact to connect with for their respective college,
emails not being checked or responded to on a regular basis (both dean and senator),

8
and senators reaching out to their respective deans repeatedly with no response. SGA
Leader 2, spoke about this lack of responsiveness expressed the idea of the senators
contacting the “next person in line.” However, expressed displeasure with that and
stating:

I think as representatives of the student body, I think the deans also need
to be taking us seriously. And if they’re not responding to us after multiple
emails, that to me is a sense that they are not taking us seriously.

SGA Leader 2 followed this statement by asking, “What are some options when the
Deans are not contacting and what are the best methods to kind of bring the deans
and departments to you know to become interconnected and you know passionate
about student government?” Although the senators are reaching out, there is not a
clear plan on what steps should be taken if the deans are not responding and how to
encourage engagement with the SGA.

The senators that have been in contact and met with their respective deans under the
new model, expressed positive experiences and feedback. Returning Senator 2 stated:

I haven’t faced any challenges. I think the one-on-one aspect the meeting has
kind of made it clear and I get their points and I can you know explain how I’m
feeling about certain things and kind of come to an agreement based on that.

Overall, there are challenges with consistent communication between senators and
deans due to scheduling, responses, and contacts.

Communication and Representation – Constituents

As shown in Figure 5, the senators are evenly split and think they should communicate
with their constituents in the Colleges they represent in a variety of ways.

Figure 5. Communicating with Constituents

During the interviews, one issue identified by New Senator 1 regarding

communicating with constituents is that students may not know how to contact SGA
or the senate stating:

I haven’t had anyone come to me with issues, but I feel like part of that is a
lot of students don’t know how to get in contact with SGA or the senate in
9
 general so that’s why we have been trying to hold more public affairs events
and town halls and things so students know they can reach out to us with any
problems that they have and any changes they might want to see.

Returning Senator 2 stated they hung around the building for the college they
represent and talked to students about their concerns and “you know vote and like
place my concerns based on what I hear from them.” This senator stated they felt
seeking out and speaking to students in the academic building they represent was
more accessible than being in a more public space like the Holmes Student Center.
Therefore, holding town halls and meeting student(s) in the academic buildings they
represent makes the senators more accessible to their constituents.

Constituent Communication and Representation Suggestions

The responses to the fill-in question asking for suggestions about how senators can
better represent the needs of students in the college included:

• Identify more ways to communicate with the senators

• Senators should host town halls with their respective colleges to better
understand the needs of their constituents.
• Regular communication with the dean and other staff members would be very
helpful as sometimes they know what the students need better than the students
themselves because they have been here longer and know how everything at the
university works
• Have drop boxes for individuals with concerns all around campus
• Understand and promote their colleges events or systems

The dean that completed the survey stated they thought that senators should
communicate with their constituents via townhalls, email, office hours, one-on-one
constituent meetings, and anonymous online forums. The suggestions that the dean
provided for how the senators could better represent the needs of students in the
college included Instagram and text messaging adding “Students are not using email
as the primary communication tool.”

3) Improvement of Representation
The new model of representation was implemented due to issues of uneven
representation of the districts of the previous model, to provide more direct
representation of the senate, and to increase participation. The consensus was that the
new model is more inclusive and has increased representation.

Inclusion of Representation
There was a consensus among all the Returning Senators and SGA Leaders
interviewed of the new model being more inclusive than the previous model.
Returning Senator 1 stated they see a big difference this year compared to last year
sharing, “those improvements can be measured you know through the votes and the
conversations that we’ve had to the votes that we might not have necessarily had
10
without that inclusion.” Returning Senator 2 commented that having different
senators represent the same college with different majors “brings in a whole different
group of students that they could talk to … just in terms of transparency and getting
the word and the message communicated.”

Additional benefits were identified by Returning Senators 1 and 2. These benefits

included being able to connect with the deans on a personal level, having greater
transparency with other senators at the meetings, and having a dean that is engaged
will help bring positive attitude and accomplish more initiatives because they will be
working collaboratively toward the same goal(s).

SGA Leader 1 stated with this model, they are hearing from individual communities.
In addition, SGA Leader 2 explained that the new model helps senators identify which
committees that they should be sitting on, initiatives they should work on and who to
communicate and collaborate with. SGA Leader 2 stated they have been able to
discuss the issues that are addressing different people on campus with this new model.
They provided an example that they had issues brought to their attention by students
from a college that has not historically done so in the past.

An SGA Leader 2 did mention that they felt there was still room to grow, specifying
underserved communities. However, they stated that this model gives the opportunity
to reach out to those communities and ask for students to get involved in
representation.

4) Senator Election Policy and Process:

The creation of a new procedural routine to determine unprecedented circumstances
would help with resolving the unexpected challenges that have emerged with the
implementation of the new model.

Proof of Affiliation and Senate Seats

Participants shared concerns about the Senator election process for senators under
the new model. The concerns include proof of affiliation and seating on the senate.
The first concern was that although it is the policy that candidates must present some
proof of affiliation to the department or area of interest they want to represent, clear
guidelines were not created for the type of proof required. In addition, there is not a
process in place if a senator for one college or district changes their major or moves
from university housing they represent, which has been difficult to address.

The second concern centered on seating on the senate, included the challenge of
making sure students know what Senate seats are open as well as the difficulty
explaining “to people that they can’t just join the Senate anymore if there are no empty
seats.” Therefore, although a student may be interested of holding a seat on the
Senate, there may not be empty seats in the College or area they wish to represent. It
can also be a challenge to figure out how the candidate could “fit in certain categories.”
Currently, there are no formal written policies on these processes.

11
Discussion
The purpose of this assessment project was to identify ways SGA representatives are
communicating with and representing the academics colleges. As well as, to review the
new structure of the SGA senate and assess what needs improvement and what is
successful. Overall, senators reported that the new model was much more inclusive
and better laid out that the previous model.

Communication
While discussing communication with the senators, many said they had not met with
deans or other senators in their area yet. This is important to note as communicating
with their respective deans was an important expectation under the new model. This
lack of communication between deans and the senators representing the academic
colleges might result in constituents’ voices not being heard or a concern may be
delayed in being communicated. Scheduling was mentioned as a large factor for lack of
meetings and communication with deans. However, as this is part of the new model, it
is important that changes are made to improve these situations.

Onboarding/Training
New and returning senators reported limited training in onboarding them to their new
positions and to the new model. A potential outcome of not receiving proper training
on how the senate operates, expectations of their position, as well as how to represent
constituents could result in gaps in knowledge that leads to frustrations for senators
themselves and their constituents. With some senators resigning recently, there could
be a relationship between not knowing what their role was and leaving the position.
One returning senator indicated senators were leaving faster than usual and
sometimes leaving before communicating with others.

Representation
The increased representation of academic colleges through elected senators under
the new model has seemingly increased inclusion and diversity of student
representation. Since most senators seemed happy with the new changes, it seems
paramount that they work to strengthen representation and process. For instance, it
is mentioned that proof of involvement in certain areas is needed. However, there is
no current policy in place for that situation (e.g., if a student changes majors or
moves out of housing). This is important to note because as this is new for the
senate model, students may want to participate but may not “meet the
requirements” of a certain area on campus.

12
Recommendations
1) Enhance Onboarding and Training for Senators
A common theme that was confirmed after collecting and analyzing the data is that
there is a definitive need for solidified training. Therefore, the leadership team should
improve training and onboarding of senators that includes senator job descriptions
and expectations laid out (e.g., answering emails, attending meetings, serving on
committee(s), and meeting with deans and constituents), and a step-by-step process
demonstrating how to create and propose new legislation.

Additionally, SGA could create a shadowing process for any students considering
joining SGA. This process would allow students to ask any questions and become
acquainted with the responsibilities of an SGA senator while also allowing current
senators the opportunity to teach other students about how to navigate the role of a
senator.

2) Increase Communication with Deans and Constituents

Throughout the data, there was a belief that there was a lack of awareness among the
student body regarding who their representative(s) were. Academic colleges could
send a mass email to their respective students informing them of who their senators
are. By having the colleges make this announcement at the beginning of each semester,
this can serve as raising awareness while showing collaboration between the deans and
senators.

Based on information from various senators, most of them were struggled to connect
with their deans. By having the senators create rapport with their respective dean prior
to summer break, this can help establish some stability when returning in the fall.
Developing expectations with their dean and timelines could also help with increasing
communication.

Additionally, both deans and senators could use multiple ways to communicate to
reduce barriers and increase responsiveness in communication. Some ways senators
shared in responses were through hosting town halls, senator office hours (within the
academic college building) and having some form of anonymous form for constituents
to voice their concerns.

Amending Bylaws for Unprecedented Circumstances

SGA should amend the bylaws regarding the election process. More specifically, adding
proof of involvement in the academic college (e.g., major, minor, certificate program)
and procedures for anyone changing their major and how that would impact their role
as a senator. These were two primary concerns some senators expressed as they shifted
into this new model of representation. Dealing with clarification now and setting a
precedent will allow senators to focus on other areas of concern by having an
established set of bylaws.

13
 Appendix
Appendix A: Protocol for Returning
Senator Interviews
Welcome and Introduction [10 minutes]
Welcome and Purpose
Thank you all for joining us for this focus group today about the student government association.
The purpose of this focus group is to learn about how the new and returning senators are
communicating with and representing the Academic Colleges under the new model implemented
this semester. These findings will be compiled and used to determine needs and establish a set of
recommendations to be shared with the Student Government Association Advisor to review and
will inform changes for the Spring 2022 semester.

Introduction of Moderators
My name is _____________ and I will be facilitating this conversation with ____________.
In addition to facilitating, we will be working together to make sure we stay on track with the time
we have in order to cover all our questions. ________ will also be joining us today to take notes
and manage the recording and technology.

Before we move on to a few ground rules and get started, do you have any questions about the
project?

[Answer any questions]

Group Process and Guidelines

The following are the guidelines for our group:
• We are interested in your responses to our questions. Therefore, as facilitators, we will limit
what we are saying to our questions and any clarification, if needed.
• As mentioned earlier, no identifiable information will be recorded. We also ask you to
respect the confidentiality of all the participants in this group and do not repeat any part of
our conversation outside of our group.

14
 • We would like everyone to participate and be open and honest in your responses. We would
like to hear everything.
• There does not need to be a consensus, your responses and an open discussion and
disagreement is encouraged and acceptable, but we ask that you do so in a respectful way,
understanding that there are no right or wrong responses, just different viewpoints.
• Please speak one at a time so everyone can be heard and no side conversations.

Explanation of Audio Recording and Equipment

We are planning to record our meeting today for the purpose of our analysis. This recording will be
kept completely confidential. Only the assessment team will have access to this recording, and it
will only be used for our analysis. Although we may use direct quotes, no identifiable information
will be disclosed. Please acknowledge that you are comfortable with this meeting being
recorded verbally by taking yourself off mute, in the chat or providing a thumbs up. Feel free to
turn off your camera if you would feel more comfortable.

[If any participant does not acknowledge or states they do not feel comfortable being recorded, ask
them to leave/withdraw from the meeting]

When I turn on the recorder, I am going to go around to each of you and ask for verbal consent
that you agree to be a participant in this focus group and be recorded. You have the right to
withdraw from participating in this focus group at any time.

We will now begin the recording.

[start recording]

Consent/Participant Rights
Ok, we have now started the recording and you have all acknowledged your agreement to be
recorded during this meeting. We will now ask each of you for a verbal agreement to be a
participant in this focus group and be recorded. If you do not agree, you can leave the meeting at
this time.

[Go around to each participant and ask for a verbal agreement to be a participant and be
recorded]

15
Transition to Begin Group
We are now ready to begin. If there are no questions or concerns, let’s get started.

Introduction of Participants [10 minutes]

Thanks again for your participation. We would like to start with introductions. Please share the
following information
• Your name
• How long have you been in SGA?
• Who do you represent?

Questions
1. Please, state your name, how long you’ve been in SGA, and who do you

represent?

2. How has the transition process been switching models? Any challenges?

3. How has this new model impacted communication among you and your

respective college deans?

4. How have you learned to navigate this new legislation?

5. How often do you communicate with your respective college deans?

6. What method do you use to communicate with your respective college deans?

7. What has been successful when communicating with your respective college

deans?

8. Describe any challenges that you’ve faced when communicating with the

respective deans.

9. What feedback have you received from your respective college deans?

16
10. Do you believe this new model is more inclusive and representative of

multiple identities on campus?

11. Is there anything that you wish we would have asked that you would like to

share at this time?

17
 Appendix B: Protocol for New
Senators
Welcome and Introduction [10 minutes]
Welcome and Purpose
Thank you all for joining us for this focus group today about the student
government association. The purpose of this focus group is to learn about
how the new and returning senators are communicating with and representing the
Academic Colleges under the new model implemented this semester. These findings
will be compiled and used to determine needs and establish a set of
recommendations to be shared with the Student Government Association Advisor
to review and will inform changes for the Spring 2022 semester.
Introduction of Moderators
My name is _____________ and I will be facilitating this conversation with
____________. In addition to facilitating, we will be working together to make
sure we stay on track with the time we have in order to cover all our
questions. ________ will also be joining us today to take notes and manage the
recording and technology.

Before we move on to a few ground rules and get started, do you have any
questions about the project?
[Answer any questions]

18
Group Process and Guidelines
The following are the guidelines for our group:
• We are interested in your responses to our questions. Therefore, as
facilitators, we will limit what we are saying to our questions and any
clarification, if needed.
• As mentioned earlier, no identifiable information will be recorded. We
also ask you to respect the confidentiality of all the participants in this
group and do not repeat any part of our conversation outside of our
group.
• We would like everyone to participate and be open and honest in your
responses. We would like to hear everything.
• There does not need to be a consensus, your responses and an open
discussion and disagreement is encouraged and acceptable, but we ask
that you do so in a respectful way, understanding that there are no
right or wrong responses, just different viewpoints.
• Please speak one at a time so everyone can be heard and no side
conversations.

Explanation of Audio Recording and Equipment

We are planning to record our meeting today for the purpose of our
analysis. This recording will be kept completely confidential. Only the
assessment team will have access to this recording, and it will only be used
for our analysis. Although we may use direct quotes, no identifiable
information will be disclosed. Please acknowledge that you are comfortable
with this meeting being recorded verbally by taking yourself off mute, in the
chat or providing a thumbs up. Feel free to turn off your camera if you
would feel more comfortable.

19
[If any participant does not acknowledge or states they do not feel
comfortable being recorded, ask them to leave/withdraw from the meeting]
When I turn on the recorder, I am going to go around to each of you and
ask for verbal consent that you agree to be a participant in this focus group
and be recorded. You have the right to withdraw from participating in this
focus group at any time.
We will now begin the recording.
[start recording]

Consent/Participant Rights
Ok, we have now started the recording and you have all acknowledged your
agreement to be recorded during this meeting. We will now ask each of you
for a verbal agreement to be a participant in this focus group and be
recorded. If you do not agree, you can leave the meeting at this time.

[Go around to each participant and ask for a verbal agreement to be a

participant and be recorded]

Transition to Begin Group

We are now ready to begin. If there are no questions or concerns, let’s get
started.

Introduction of Participants [10 minutes]

Thanks again for your participation. We would like to start
with introductions. Please share the following information
• Your name
• How long have you been in SGA?
• Who do you represent?

20
 Questions
1. Please, state your name, how long you’ve been in SGA, and who do you

represent?

2. Can you please describe what your onboarding process like?

3. What was your training and preparation like for the senator position?

4. Possible follow-up: Is there anything you feel would have been more

helpful to include in the onboarding process?

5. How have you learned to navigate your role as a senator?

6. How often do you communicate with your respective college deans?

7. What method do you use to communicate with your respective college

deans?

8. What has been successful when communicating with your respective

college deans?

9. Describe any challenges that you’ve faced when communicating with

the respective deans.

10. What feedback have you received from your respective college deans?

11. Is there anything that you wish we would have asked that you would

like to share at this time?

21
 Appendix C: Survey Questions for
college deans
1. Name (first, last)
2. Respective college
3. “I am aware of the new model for the Student Government Association”
(Yes/No)
4. “Do you know who your SGA senator representative is?” (Yes/No)
5. How often do you communicate with your respective senator? (Once a
week/2-3 times a month/once a month/whenever necessary/Never/ Other)
6. Ideally, how often would you find it necessary to meet with your respective
senator? (Once a week/2-3 Times a Month/Once a month/Other)
7. What method do you use to communicate with your respective senator? Check
all that apply. (Email/Face-to-Face/Virtual meetings)
8. How do you currently interact with your SGA representative? (Set 1:1
meetings (weekly or monthly)/Email/1:1 meetings as needed/Phone calls)
9. How would you like to interact with your SGA representative in the future?
(Set 1:1 meetings (weekly or monthly)/Email/1:1 meetings as needed/Phone calls)
10. I think senators should communicate with their constituents via…
(Townhalls/Email/Office hours/1:1 meetings/Anonymous online form/Other)
11. What are other suggestions do you have on how the senators could better
represent the needs of students in the college?

22
Appendix D: Survey Questions for
All Senators
1. Name (first, last)
2. Are you a returning or new senator? (Returning senator/New senator)
3. Respective college you represent: (drop down box to choose)
4. Do you know who your respective dean is? (Yes/No)
5. How often do you communicate with your respective dean? (Once a
week/2-3 times a month/Once a month/Whenever is
necessary/Never/Other)
6. Ideally, how often would you find it necessary to meet with your
respective dean? (Once a week/2-3 times a month/Once a month/Other)
7. What method do you use to communicate with your respective dean?
Check all that apply (Email/Face-to-Face/Virtual meetings)
8. How do you currently interact with your respective dean? (Set 1:1
meetings (weekly or monthly)/Email/1:1 meetings as needed/Phone
calls)
9. How would you like to interact with your respective dean in the
future? (Set 1:1 meetings (weekly or monthly)/Email/1:1 meetings as
needed/Phone calls)
10. I think senators should communicate with their constituents via…
(Townhalls/Email/Office hours/1:1 meetings/Anonymous online
form/Other)
11. What are other suggestions do you have on how the senators could
better represent the needs of students in the college?

23
 References
Cansoy, R. (2017). The effectiveness of leadership skills development program for university
students. Journal of History, Culture & Art Research/Tarih Kültür ve Sanat Arastirmalari
Dergisi, 6(3), 6587. https://doiorg.auth.lib.niu.edu/10.7596/taksad.v6i3.899

Kilgo. C. A., Mollet, A. L., Pascarella, E. T., (2016). The estimated effects of college student
involvement on psychological well-being. Journal of College Student Development, 57(8),
1043- 1049. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/638565/pdf

NIU - Student Government Association. (n.d.). Northern Illinois University. Retrieved November
22, 2021, from https://www.niu.edu/student-association/about/senate.shtml

Trolian, T.L., & Barnhardt, C.L. (2017). Shaping students’ civic commitments: the influence of
college cocurricular involvement. Journal of College Student Development 58(2), 141-158.
doi:10.1353/csd.2017.0012.

24
 Thank you for
reading our findings!

25