Elections

Elections for representatives of the Graduate Student Union Network take place each September. For details on the elections process, read the information below.

Election process

Elected SUN representatives work to bring activities and programming to campus that support student experiences at the graduate school as well as foster social change and student growth. In addition to this, they enjoy many benefits for their service such as recognition, valuable experience that can be cited on a resume, and a tuition waiver for one semester-hour credit per term served (up to two for a full year of service).

To be eligible to run for a SUN representative election, you must 1) be a current graduate student 2) plan to be continually enrolled as a graduate student throughout the current academic year either part-time or full-time , 3) have good academic standing and disciplinary standing with the graduate school, and 4) not have any conflict of interest that will prohibit you from fulfilling your duties as a SUN representative (roles and responsibilities of SUN representatives are provided below).

Completed Self-Nomination Applications must be submitted via e-mail to the Graduate Dean’s office (graddean@lclark.edu) no later than [2026 date TBD]. Incomplete applications or those received after this deadline will not be accepted. The information you provide in your application will be posted online by [2026 date TBD] so your classmates can review it and vote. 

Click HERE for a self-nomination application form. [2026 form to be made available in late summer]

Election Timeline

• [2026 date TBD]: Self-Nomination Applications due to graddean@lclark.edu by 11:59 PM
• [2026 date TBD]: Candidate profiles posted on SUN website – voting begins
• [2026 date TBD]: Voting ends at 5:00 PM
• [2026 date TBD]: Newly elected officers are announced

Duties for SUN Representatives

The representatives act as a collaborative team and have equal power and voting rights. Team members serve as representatives of the student body and work to create meaningful opportunities for community growth.

The representatives will be expected to:

• Act as a liaison between the student body and both the Faculty and Administration.
• Attend Officer meetings twice a month.
• Attend a meeting with the Associate Dean once a month.
• Attend a meeting with the Dean of the Graduate School once each semester.
• One representative will attend quarterly Board of Trustee meetings

How to Vote
Students will receive an email on [2026 date TBD] letting them know that voting has formally opened for the election. Each student can review bios of each candidate online. Only one student from each listed academic program may be elected.

Email your votes to graddean@lclark.edu by the voting deadline (5:00 PM, [2026 date TBD]).