Getting involved in student government does not require running for office. An undergraduate can speak at a council meeting, apply to an office staff, seek a committee appointment or join a residence council. The route depends on which students the body represents and what work you want to do.
The Government & Leadership directory has 71 entries. Some are elected governments; others are departmental associations or leadership groups. A directory category does not make every entry an elected office.
USAC has elected officers and appointed positions
USAC is the elected council of the Undergraduate Students Association, which includes every UCLA undergraduate. Undergraduates elect its officers in spring. Staff and Academic Senate committee seats use applications through USAC's appointments page. Its Tuesday evening council meetings are open to undergraduates for public comment, with an in-person and remote option listed in its joining note. Attending is the quickest way to see what a council decision looks like before taking on a role.
The offices split the work. The President's Office handles council administration and leadership programs. The Internal Vice President's Office focuses on student organizations and campus engagement; the External Vice President's Office represents undergraduates to off-campus bodies. General Representative offices have separate directory entries. The International Student Representative and Transfer Student Representative offices serve those student constituencies.
Commissions have narrower portfolios. Academic Affairs advocates on academic life and links executive and director applications. Cultural Affairs runs cultural and political programming and has a staff application. Facilities works on campus access, sustainability and facilities policy; its staff application is open in the current joining note. Financial Supports works on student financial issues and takes commission applications. Campus Events handles entertainment programming. Student Wellness works on health and well-being and offers an internship application. Community Service recruits fall interns and points volunteers to service projects that recruit separately.
Elections and judicial work have separate appointments
USA Elections Board administers USAC elections. Its board members are appointed through the USAC committee process. Students running for office file candidacy or slate paperwork with the board in spring. That is a different path from joining a commission staff.
USAC Judicial Board hears disputes about the association's governing rules and appeals of Elections Board rulings. Justices are appointed through USAC's appointments process. Its page does not list an open general membership route. If you want to help with an issue this quarter, a commission application or public council meeting offers a more immediate entry point.
Graduate students have their own government
GSA represents UCLA graduate and professional students. Elected officers and a Forum of delegates from academic councils approve budgets and organize student programs. Graduate students can attend its Forum meetings every other Thursday, subscribe to its newsletter or apply for a committee. The graduate students guide covers school-based groups alongside the central association.
Representation also happens within programs. The Graduate Students Association in Education represents students across the Department of Education and sits on department and school committees. Its co-chair and program representative seats are elected or nominated annually. The Medical Student Council speaks for medical students in dealings with their school. These groups make more sense than USAC if the decision you care about belongs to your graduate program.
Public Policy Leadership Association represents public policy students and invites every MPP student to its events. The First Generation Graduate Student Council connects first-generation graduate students, with a newsletter for events and an application for leadership. Both have a more specific constituency than GSA's campus-wide Forum.
Housing councils represent residents where they live
Resident Government Council is the building-level government on the Hill. Its volunteer seats open around move-in and the start of fall; interested residents contact their Assistant Resident Director. Representatives feed into the On-Campus Housing Council, which represents Hill residents across buildings. OCHC has both elected and General Board-appointed executive seats. Its joining note gives a substantial weekly time commitment and says recruitment runs from late winter into spring.
Other housing communities have their own bodies. The Undergraduate Apartment Housing Resident Government Council represents undergraduate apartment residents. University Apartments South Resident's Association represents graduate and family housing residents there, while Weyburn Hilgard Resident Council Association represents residents of those graduate housing communities. Their listings do not give detailed application steps, so ask Residential Life about current openings.
Pick the decision you want to work on
Some entries under Government & Leadership are organized around programs rather than representation. Student Alumni Association runs alumni and campus tradition events and takes members by application. The Political Science Undergraduate Council offers events and peer advising, and its members may serve as liaisons to the department. Their work is useful, but their joining notes do not describe a USAC-style campus election.
- Campus-wide undergraduate issues: attend a USAC meeting, then check the relevant office's staff application or the appointments page. Elections are the route to an officer seat.
- Graduate program issues: start with GSA's Forum or your department's association. Ask how delegates and committee members are chosen.
- Your building: ask your Assistant Resident Director about an RGC opening. If you live in an apartment community, contact Residential Life about its resident council.
Read the current join note before you send an application. Staff, internships, elected seats and committee appointments have different forms and different calendars, even within the same government.