Senate Meetings Update
New Time & Location
Bi-Weekly Thursdays, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
UWM Student Union, Room EG80

Become a Senator

Welcome and thank you for taking the first step toward becoming a Student Association Senator!

Your interest in representing your fellow students and working to improve the UWM experience is both admirable and essential to building a stronger, more inclusive campus community. By considering this role, you’re stepping into an opportunity to advocate for student voices, help shape campus policies, and create meaningful change.

This guide contains a lot of information, but it’s all here to help make the process as clear and straightforward as possible. Whether you’re just starting to explore the responsibilities of a senator or you’re ready to dive in, we’ve designed these materials to support you every step of the way.

Contact

Ways to become a Senator

  1. Get Elected

    Elections happen during both the Fall and Spring. 

    • Spring Elections are the main elections in which students vote in their Student Body President and Vice Presidents as well as most of the Senators. Voting occurs in April, but nominations begin in late February. 
    • Fall Elections are specifically for First-Year and Transfer Students because these populations generally do not get to campus until the fall semester and they are elected in early October.

  2. Fill a Vacant Seat

    To apply for one of these seats you must fill out the Vacant Senate Seat Application.

    Vacant Senate Seat Application

    You will also need to electronically collect the amount and appropriate population may change based on the seat you choose, so pay close attention to the above form. Signatures can be collected electronically with a link sent out after filling the above form. Signatures may also be collected with a paper copy.

    Paper Copy Signature Collection

    Signature Requirements

    • Group 1: 40 signatures required
      • At Large Seats (can be from any enrolled students)
      • The following academic seats (signatures MUST be from students in the corresponding school)…
        • College of Letters & Science
        • College of Engineering & Applied Science
        • Lubar School of Business
        • Graduate School
    • Group 2: 30 signatures required
      • Advocacy Seats (can be from any enrolled students)
      • First-Year & Transfer Senator Seats (can be from any enrolled students)
      • The following academic seats (signatures MUST be from students in the corresponding school)…
        • College of Health Professions and Sciences
        • College of Architecture and the Arts
        • College of Applied Social Sciences
    • Group 3: 20 signatures required
      • The following academic seats (signatures MUST be from students in the corresponding school)…
        • Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health
        • School of Freshwater Sciences

    Next Steps

    The Student Association Professional Staff office will verify your eligibility and the signatures you provided. You will then be emailed information about the upcoming Senate meeting (every other Thursday from 5:30 PM – 7 PM) where you will give a short talk about yourself and why you would like to sit in your chosen seat and the Senate will vote to approve or deny your candidacy.