Student Council Roles, Responsibilities, and Code of Conduct

2026-2027 Academic Year

Organizational Structure and Selection Process

The USG Student Council is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students who represent the four industry hubs (Engineering and Technology; Health and Life Sciences; Business Enterprise; and Public Service, Education & Social Sciences). All members will be considered representatives of the industry sector for which their program of study aligns (in some cases, students may represent their secondary industry sector). The SC has multiple advisors from the Macklin Center who serve as mentors to members. Members are paid an hourly wage for completing Council-related tasks.

For the 2026-2027 academic year, there will be two application rounds:

• Round One will begin in March 2026 and close in April 2026.
• Round Two will begin in August 2026 and close in September 2026.

The application consists of demographic information, a statement of interest, a resume, and an optional letter of recommendation. Finalists will be invited to group interviews, where they will be asked questions and interpret scenarios. Returning members may be asked to participate in the interview process. Applicants’ program representatives may be contacted to ensure they meet all eligibility requirements. Students will be selected based on the strength of their application and interview, with special attention given to creating a diverse group of students academically and demographically.

Students selected during Round One will be considered Senior Members, and will meet in mid-May 2026 to begin teambuilding and brainstorming for the upcoming year. This event will also include a discussion of appropriate officer and committee member roles. Senior Members may also serve as mentors for Junior Members selected in Round Two.

Members who would like to hold an officer role will have the opportunity to submit a form explaining their qualifications and interests. Council members will vote on these roles. The advisors will assign non-officer roles.
 

Member Roles

Officers

President: responsible for the leadership of the Student Council and working with various internal and external entities to ensure the growth, productivity, and success of the SC and the USG community. Primary duties include but are not limited to:

• Leadership of the Council at meetings and other initiatives where the Council is present
• Serving as the student representative on the USG Board of Advisors or the USM Student Council
• Planning, coordinating, and directing at least one advocacy-related event or initiative each semester, such as Town Halls, student forums, etc.
• Encouraging successful partnerships and collaboration with USG staff, faculty, and community members
• If possible, coordinating and facilitating meetings (at least once per year) with the student governance of one or more local community colleges (MC, FCC, HCC, etc.). This can be done with an individual college or as a “summit” in which all are invited to participate. 

Vice President of Administration and Advocacy: responsible for collaborating with the President and working with various internal and external entities to ensure the growth, productivity, and success of the Student Council and the USG community. Primary duties include but are not limited to:

• Supporting the leadership of the Council at meetings and other initiatives where the Council is asked to participate
• Serving as the student representative on the USM Student Council or the USG Board of Advisors
• Facilitating conversations with members and the USG administration
• Assisting the President with progressing initiatives that support the Council’s efforts
• Supporting the Secretary’s administrative duties
• Arranging participation in student-targeted focus groups, surveys, or other means of gathering information from students to use towards advocacy efforts
• Appropriately following up on the Suggestion Box or other requests
• Represent and lead the SC in the absence of the President (will lead at least one meeting each semester)

Vice President of Marketing and Publicity: responsible for developing strategies to increase Student Council visibility. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Creating an overall marketing and outreach strategy, including best practices for promoting events and initiatives
• Developing on-campus and virtual/social media publicity strategies
• Arranging tabling and other outreach efforts, including reservations and staffing
• Chairing the Marketing Subcommittee, which will complete tasks such as creating flyers, graphics, and other marketing materials; maintaining the SC Instagram Page; maintaining the SC Bulletin Board in the Building III Cafe; taking photos and videos at events; submitting events, initiatives, and other announcements to the USG Event Promo Form; and creating and maintaining the SC WhatsApp (or similar) group
• Collaborating with the Student Engagement Officers to reach marketing milestones

Secretary: Responsible for completing various clerical duties during Student Council meetings and other relevant administrative tasks. Primary duties include but are not limited to:

• Creating meeting agendas and reserving campus spaces as requested
• Recording minutes and attendance during SC meetings (and securing a backup if unable to attend)
• Maintaining all SC records, including completing the annual Student Group Enrollment Form and Advanced Status applications 
• Registering the Student Council for tables at the fall and spring involvement fairs and ensuring that they are staffed appropriately
• Sending out emails to remind members to complete their timesheets before they are due (bi-weekly on Fridays; timesheets are due bi-weekly on Mondays by 9 am)
• Responding to emails sent to the SC email address promptly

Treasurer: responsible for managing and tracking all Student Council funds. Primary duties include but are not limited to:

• Performing general bookkeeping duties and management of the Student Council budget
• Tracking spending for SC events and initiatives
• Providing financial updates at all Student Council meetings and creating end-of-semester financial status reports
• Ensuring all spending and fundraising efforts follow relevant USG policies and procedures
• Developing ideas for and spearheading fundraising efforts if needed

Appointed Roles

Industry Sector Student Leaders (4 students, 1 per hub)

A member of each of the four Industry Sectors will be selected as the lead student representative. These industry sectors “will streamline USG academic program engagement by helping to identify priorities of need and align resources for each industry [sector], thus creating more robust opportunities for students”. Primary duties include but are not limited to:

• Working closely with the Program Manager of Strategic Plan Administration to promote the student voice in Industry Sector prioritization and decision-making

• Attending meetings for associated Industry Sector workgroups, summarizing and reporting back to the full Council
• Gathering feedback from students in their Industry Sector (outside of the SC) to relay to workgroup members
• Must respond to all emails promptly and commit to requests

Student Engagement Officers (2 students): responsible for leading efforts to enhance student belonging at USG. Primary duties include but are not limited to:

• Communicating with group leaders to cross-collaborate on events and initiatives 

• Collaborating closely with the VP of Marketing and Publicity to enhance community awareness of the Student Council and their initiatives
• Chairing event/initiative committees as appropriate
• Keeping the Council informed of on-campus events, and supporting their promotion
• Actively participating in the Marketing Subcommittee
• Serving on the Student Affairs and Career Readiness Leadership Development Strategy Committee, and possibly other workgroups, as needed
• Likely participating in the USG Student Podcast initiative

USG Board of Advisors Student Representatives (two students: one will be the President or VP of Admin)

The USG Board of Advisors is “a formally constituted body established under the auspices of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents. Its principal responsibility is to represent broad community interests and to ensure that student, business, local and state government, and higher education needs are addressed in the development of the Universities at Shady Grove”.

• Attending meetings (typically weekday mornings every 2 months) and reporting discussions back to the Council
• Representing the student body accurately and effectively by gathering student needs and sharing suggestions with the Board
• Completing any additional tasks assigned by the Board

University System of Maryland Student Council - USG Representatives (two students: one will be the President or VP of Admin)

The University System of Maryland Student Council (USMSC) advises the USM Chancellor and the Board of Regents. It “helps ensure that the System leadership is aware of students' perspectives and responsive to students' concerns and issues.” Each degree-granting institution in the USM has two representatives.

• Attending all meetings (throughout the school year, monthly on Sundays, rotating between campuses and virtual meetings) and reporting discussions back to our Council
• Representing our student body accurately and effectively by gathering needs and sharing suggestions with the Board
• Completing any additional tasks assigned by the USMSC

USG Career Readiness Representative

The USG Career Readiness Initiative, also known as HireU, “contains a shared set of career readiness competencies which reflect the key behaviors that employers, across all industries and functional areas, are seeking in graduates entering the world of work”. The Career Readiness Representative is responsible for:

• Working closely with the Coordinator of Student Affairs & Career Readiness Operations and the HireU Ambassadors to gather feedback about HireU and career competency strategies
• Completing various HireU milestones and giving suggestions to improve usage
• Must be or willing to become an active user of the Suitable app

Additional Roles: assigned as needed

Campus Transportation Advisory Committee Student Representative

Discusses parking fees, infrastructure, and potentially campus/student fees. Meets once per semester.

Chancellor’s Chat Representatives

The Chancellor’s Chats are an opportunity for Chancellor Jay Perman to hear directly from students. Each chat is organized around a designated topic, area of interest, or affiliation. These are informal sessions during which the identified theme or affiliation is used to launch a wide-ranging conversation. Meetings are Sundays once per month from 10 am-noon and alternate between virtual and in-person. Shelby Speer will contact appropriate students to represent the USG Student Council at these sessions.

MoCo Food Security Advisory Board - USG Student Representatives

An initiative of the Montgomery County Food Council, this group is composed of Montgomery County residents who currently struggle with or have struggled in the past with food insecurity. Any SC members meeting this requirement are welcome to participate.

• Participating in monthly Zoom calls where members “can lend your voice to help direct the conversation about what food system policies and priorities would be the most impactful for you and your communities”, and reporting discussions back to the Council
• Representing USG student and community needs accurately and effectively
• Completing any additional tasks assigned by the Advisory Board
   

Member Responsibilities

1. All members are expected to attend all Student Council meetings and fulfill other assigned responsibilities. Regular meetings will occur twice a month on Friday afternoons from 3-5 pm. Additional meetings will be held during the fall semester (during the same or similar time slot). Meetings are in-person only, except for the first meeting in January, which is virtual. Additional meetings may be scheduled (in-person or virtually), which members are expected to attend if available. Members are strongly encouraged to attend all SC-related programming unless they have an approved conflict.
   • The absence policy is as follows:
     • Members can miss up to three meetings during the academic year before they may be asked to resign:
       • 1st absence=gentle reminder; 2nd absence=warning; 3rd absence=may be asked to resign
     • There will be more leniency when absences are excused (when the advisors and Secretary are notified well in advance with a reasonable explanation of absence).
        
2. All SC members are expected to complete the Student Council Achievement in HireU.
    
3. All Student Council members are representatives of their respective Industry Hubs. These educational pathways will be the key to delivering on USG 2.0’s “Promise” to ensure successful degree completion and meaningful, sustainable-wage employment opportunities or successful business ventures for all learners at USG.
    
4. All members will serve as liaisons between the student body and administration, communicating/directing any issues, feedback, and/or questions from students to the appropriate members of the administration. They will also each communicate all project planning, progress, and implementation to SC members.
    
5. All members will be responsible for the recruitment of new members.
    

Membership Requirements

Upon accepting their position, each USG Student Council member will review and sign an agreement outlining their respective roles and responsibilities and the Student Council Code of Conduct. They must also promptly complete all hiring paperwork. Each member will receive an hourly wage based on Student Council-related efforts and is expected to complete their timesheets by the deadlines. They must also respond promptly to emails from the club advisors and other members. Meeting attendance is required; all other activities are strongly encouraged. At the end of the fall and spring semesters, performance will be evaluated by each SC member to ensure that all responsibilities are met.

All Student Council members must maintain the following requirements during their entire term:

• Sustain a GPA of 2.5.
• Be in good academic and judicial standing in a program offered at USG.
• Be enrolled in at least 6 credits in classes offered at USG, unless there is an approved exception.
• Adhere to all of the items listed in this document, including the Code of Conduct.
• Serve from mid-September until mid-May (with additional responsibilities to be determined for Senior Members in May and early fall). Fall or Winter graduates will not be accepted.
  • If a member chooses to resign from the SC before the end of the term, they must provide a letter of resignation via email to the advisors explaining their decision.

*Failure to comply with the rules and regulations stated here and/or failure to honor the signed agreements and commitments may result in the withholding of wages and/or removal from the Student Council. *

Code of Conduct

• As representatives of one of USG’s primary student leadership organizations, all members must behave in a manner that reflects their status as representatives of the USG community.
• If a member does not adhere to this code of conduct, they may be issued a warning or be asked to resign, depending on the incident. The decision will be made by the Council’s Advisors.
• All members must:
  • Be respectful and act appropriately at all times, whether or not they are directly representing the Student Council.
  • Be courteous, honest, and fair with others.
  • Communicate in a purposeful and positive manner.
  • Appreciate and promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
  • Develop positive relationships with students, advisors, professors, and administrators.
  • Be mindful that serving on the Student Council is a privilege, and students must avoid any abuse of authority arising from the role.
  • Conduct themselves at all times to be a credit to their organization, school, and community.
  • Follow the "Student at USG-Behavior Guidance" items below.

Students at USG - Behavior Guidance 

All students enrolled in courses at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) must adhere to their respective home campus policies, code of conduct, and Title IX processes. Failure to abide by these will result in an immediate report to pertinent home campus offices and/or administrators, outreach to local law enforcement, and/or fines related to damage or misuse of USG property. 

• Students participating in programs, events, student organizations, and courses at the Universities at Shady Grove should also abide by the additional set of values outlined below:
• USG property and space will only be used as intended. Any damage will be reported to the Universities at Shady Grove immediately.
• Programs and events should be inclusive and accessible to all current students. Any limits on or requirements for program participation will be clearly outlined on all event and/or program promotions, e.g., those that require prerequisites or application for memberships.
• While USG encourages diversity of thought and the sharing of a range of perspectives, communication should aspire to remain civil at all times. Unacceptable communication is that which: (1) discriminates or harasses another based upon a legally protected characteristic (e.g., race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, or other legally protected characteristics); or (2) constitutes a threat to another individual that would cause a reasonable person to interpret the threat as a serious expression of an intent to harm or assault.
• Students should respect requests for comfortable personal space - unless voluntarily participating in an activity that requires it. Requests avoiding direct physical contact will be honored. 

USG prohibits inappropriate communication at USG clubs and activities, including communications determined to be harassing, threatening, demeaning, and vulgar. USG staff can prohibit attendance at events from anyone determined to cause a disturbance or intentionally disrupt USG events or activities. 

All Universities at Shady Grove employees that are considered University of Maryland Responsible University Employees (all University administrators, supervisors, faculty members, graduate assistants, USG Public Safety, athletic coaches, athletic trainers, resident assistants, and first responders, who are not confidential resources) must promptly notify the UMD Title IX Officer of any report of Prohibited Conduct brought to their attention. The professional staff at the Center for Counseling & Well-being are not considered Responsible University Employees due to the confidential nature of their services.