By Lora Roberts, CUSG director of communication
Every level of schooling from elementary to college has a student government, and the University of Colorado is no exception. As the University of Colorado Student Government, we get the honor of helping CU rise to excellence by supporting the incredible services aimed to help students.
Every member of CUSG, whether it's the tri-execs and their staff, legislative council, or the judicial court, feels incredibly passionate toward the university and tries to make CU an institution that students want to attend.
CUSG is one of the most powerful student governments in the nation, handling a budget around $18 million, which is generated by student fees. The budget is used to fund important buildings and organizations around campus, known as cost centers. The cost centers include the UMC, Rec Center, LGBTQ Resource Center, Cultural Events Board, Student Group Funding Board, Women’s Resource Center, Volunteer Resource Center, Legal Services, Student Outreach Retention Center for Equity, SOFO, Environmental Center, Off-Campus Student Services, KVCU, and the Distinguished Speakers Board. Cost centers are extremely important for CUSG because they are student fee funded buildings or services that cater directly to CU-Boulder students. CUSG works with each individual cost center to maximize their services at the lowest cost and to ensure efficiency in the services that they provide.
However, CUSG does much more than just fund cost centers. We also aim to do things like increase inclusivity around campus, increase student involvement, diminish health and safety concerns, fund and support student groups, take concerns expressed by students to the administration, pass bills that will support students, and so much more.
CUSG is elected by and for the students and therefore is responsible for being the voice of the students. In a campus as large as the University of Colorado, it is often hard to feel as though your voice is being heard, and that is what CUSG aims to do. We aim to give a voice to the voiceless. Students vote for their representation, and then that representation makes decisions that they believe the students would want. That is why elections are so incredibly important. The University of Colorado is a community, and in order to make a positive change in our community, we need every student to express their right to vote. Get educated and vote in this spring’s election April 8-11 on mycuinfo. Express your right to vote, and let your voice be heard.