The Freshmen Executive Committee, an entry level arm of StudentGovernment, plans to expand its application process this fall,allowing up to 150 freshmen to participate.
In years past, FEC required applicants to interview for the 50to 60 member group, forcing SG to turn away as many as 100interested students.
Rachel Spinner, co-director of Student Outreach and FECorganizer, said SG decided to do away with the selection processbecause too many leaders were being turned away.
Spinner, a sociology junior, said FEC is the first opportunityfreshmen have to get involved in SG.
“FEC basically forms the future leaders of LSU,” Spinner said.”Not all of them, but [FEC] gets students who are interested tolearn about what SG does.”
But FEC is not only designed to teach freshmen about SG, Spinnersaid.
She said members will take on their own projects to improve theUniversity and community.
Spinner said last year FEC helped with the Martin Luther KingDay of Service, collected toys for a children’s hospital, helpeddisperse information in Free Speech Alley and began planning afreshmen formal dance.
Michelle Gieg, a mass communication junior and the currentLegislative Affairs chairperson of the SG Executive Staff, wasturned down from FEC her freshman year, but got involved with SG byrunning for Senate.
Gieg said she thought it was a good idea to open membership tothe organization because it is hard to know in an interview whichstudents will actually end up wanting to stay involved in SG.
“Many students, after they get in [FEC] find other things theywant to do, and drop out,” Gieg said. “Now, people who really careabout what SG does can stay involved.”
Gieg said FEC also helps plug students who may not bespecifically interested in SG into other organizations oncampus.
“It doesn’t [exclude] anybody that wants to be a leader, but italso makes the people who really want to do it stand out more,”Gieg said.
For interested freshmen, Spinner said students can pick upinformation from the Student Organizational Fair or attend aninformational meeting on Sept. 7, 8 or 9.