Accepting Applications: Elect Her-Campus Women Win

Whether or not the country is ready for its first female president, certainly lots of student governments are! Elect Her-Campus Women Win organizers are seeking participants interested in or considering running for student government to participate in a leadership training next month. The deadline is fast approaching, so don't delay nominating yourself or another college woman for an opportunity to step into greater growth and leadership! 

Elect Her-Campus Women Win is a 4.5 hour training that is held on campuses and that teaches college women how to run for and win student government positions at their institutions such as the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.  The training covers skills such as how to mobilize a constituency, how to craft a message, and how to speak confidently and present oneself as a candidate.  Outside experts and current and former student government officials speak to participants about their experiences and what they have learned from running for office. 

In addition to leadership training through Elect Her-Campus Women Win, we want to provide more college women the valuable experience of running for and serving on student government because there is a clear connection between service in student government and future political service.

Sponsored by AAUW and Running Start, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is one of 50 sites on college campuses across the country to host this training this year.  In conjunction with its partners, the Women’s Center is pleased to have the opportunity to bring this training again to the University of Minnesota. 

Women’s political leadership is a hot conversation topic, especially since speculation about whether the country is ready for a female president is rampant. One thing is for sure: The pipeline of qualified women candidates is building, and it’s starting at the college level thanks to Elect Her. The number of Elect Her participants who have gone on to run for student government president is the largest it’s ever been: last year, women ran for the top seat at 15 of the 38 sites!

Our previous trainings have been a success; still, there is much work to be done. We look forward to taking our success even further!

Elect Her-Campus Women Win Training: February 2015 

Elect Her-Campus Women Win will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2015 from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm in Coffman Memorial Union.  All participants are asked to stay for the entire training.

Participants in this training are women who are interested or have considered running for student government.  It is NOT expected that participants have prior political experience; that is what the training is for.  We strongly encourage women of all identities and backgrounds to apply.  We recognize that women have many other identities in addition to their gender.  It is important that women step into leadership roles to not only provide a voice for other women, but also for the other identities they might hold such as their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability status, religion, age and more.  This training is open to BOTH undergraduate and graduate/professional students who are interested in running for: Minnesota Student Association (MSA), Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA), Student Senate, or other opportunities.

Want to learn about the experiences of women in student government? Read these profiles over at our blog!