Tulane Undergraduate Assembly, Tulane University’s reformed student government, will host its spring elections for rising second, third and fourth-year representatives this week. 

Candidates will table in the main hallway of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life Monday through Wednesday. Voting will open via WaveSync on Thursday, March 7 at midnight and close the following day at 3 p.m. 

The TUA body is made up of seven elected delegates from each grade and six delegates selected through a lottery system. All students are encouraged to attend the assembly’s biweekly meetings and join TUA committees. 

“TUA is important because it allows students to have their voices heard about what is important to them in their undergraduate experience,” Amelia Nugent, TUA elections and transitions chair, said. “We serve as a liaison between the student body and administration so we can help students make the changes they want to see on Tulane’s campus, and by voting in TUA elections students can have a say in who represents them in this process.” 

This past year, two of the 34 delegate positions were vacant, symbolic of a persistent issue with student government on campus — a lack of student engagement. The body only had 21 delegates for the 2021-2022 school year, the first year after TUA’s establishment. According to Nugent, 31 candidates are running this year. 

TUA’s predecessor, Undergraduate Student Government, faced a similar set of challenges with reaching a diverse range of students. 

“Our engagement was up last election, and we want to keep that momentum going,” Nugent said. “We have noticed that students might not know how to actually place their vote, so for this election we are going to make it easier by tabling on voting days on McAlister to help students cast their votes.”