2025-26 important dates

Election milestone	Date
Candidate applications open	Sunday, Feb. 9
Candidate applications close	Sunday, Mar. 2 at midnight
Mandatory candidates' meetings	Tuesday, Mar. 4 at 1, 4, or 7 p.m., 301 Student Center (1 and 4 p.m.) and 289 Student Center (7 p.m.)
Campaigning begins	Monday, Mar. 17
Voting	Tuesday, Apr. 1 at 8:30 a.m. through Thursday, April 3 at 5 p.m.; results announced by 6 p.m.
Mandatory Senate Advance	Wednesday, April 30, time and location TBD
Senate Installation	Thursday, May 1 at 6 p.m.

Positions

Student Senate is made up of 30 members, which consists of:

• 15 Members-at-Large
• 15 representatives from the following schools/colleges/units:
  • Mike Ilitch School of Business
  • College of Education
  • College of Engineering
  • College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts
  • Irvin D. Reid Honors College
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • College of Nursing
  • School of Social Work
  • School of Information Sciences
  • School of Law
  • School of Medicine
  • Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
  • Graduate School
  • Office of Housing and Residential Life
  • Satellite campuses

Students may only run for ONE position. For example, if interested in running for a Member-at-Large position, you may not also run for a School/College/Unit representative.

Requirements to run

• All Undergraduate students shall have and maintain a minimum 2.50 GPA. Graduate students shall maintain satisfactory grade standards as specified in the Graduate Bulletin that is not below 2.50 GPA, with a cumulative 2.50 GPA. 
• Undergraduates shall have completed at least a minimum of 12 credit hours at this university. Graduate students shall have accumulated at least six (6) credit hours in the Graduate division of this university, unless they have at least 12 hours of undergraduate credit at this university. 
• Undergraduates must be currently enrolled in six (6) credit hours. Graduate students must be currently enrolled in three (3) credit hours. Undergraduate students who are enrolled in a professional program in which their curriculum requires them to be less than part-time must be enrolled in at least three (3) credits. 
• If running for a school/college, the student must have their major declared in the school/college by the election application close date. 
• If running to represent student residents, the student must have a Housing and Residential Life application on file by the election application close date.
• All candidates who have never held a seat on Student Senate must attend one (1) general body meeting prior to Installation on May 1, 2025.

Procedures and campaign rules

Running for Student Senate

• Completed applications must be digitally submitted to the Dean of Students Office no later than midnight Sunday, March 2.
• Each candidate must complete a brief biography and provide a photo to be published on the elections webpage and/or in The South End.
• Biographies may not be published before the official candidates start campaigning on Monday, March 17.
• Candidates who do not meet the eligibility requirements stated above will be notified via email no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 3. It is the candidate's responsibility to check their Wayne State e-mail for notification. A final list of candidates will be issued by 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 5.
• Each candidate must attend a mandatory candidates' meeting regarding election policies and procedures. These meetings will be held on Tuesday, Mar. 4.
  • 1 p.m.
  • 4 p.m. 
  • 7 p.m. 
  • It is required that all eligible candidates attend one of these meetings. Those candidates that cannot make the meeting due to classes must inform the Election Commission at heathermarks@wayne.edu prior to the meeting to schedule an alternate meeting date and time. Those candidates who do not attend the Candidates' Meeting or notify the Election Commission of their absence due to classes, may not be eligible to run as an official candidate in the Student Senate elections.

Campaigning

• Campaigning may not begin until Monday, Mar. 17. "Campaigning: An organized operation designed to bring about a particular political, commercial or social goal." (Webster's Dictionary). For example, literature distribution, announcement candidacy, promo give away, etc.
• Each candidate shall be responsible for knowing and complying with the rules and procedures of the election.
• Each candidate is responsible for knowing all the regulations which apply to the distribution and posting of materials on campus, and for complying with the regulations as presented at the Candidates' Meeting.
• Candidates must disclose via form submission any fundraising money received along with who they received the money from and what it was spent on. Form is available on the Campaign Funding page.
• All campaign promotional materials can only promote a single candidate. This includes all forms of promotional materials, including, but not limited to, print materials, electronic marketing communications, and social media marketing communications.  
• Campaigning in any form is prohibited in all university libraries.
• Candidates must remove all of their campaign materials from the campus by Friday, Apr. 18. If materials are up after the listed date, a fee may be charged.

Elections

• Such illegal, as well as unethical acts such as electronic ballot stuffing, "hacking", tampering with the online election system and harassment/intimidation of potential voters, etc. are forbidden. Any infraction of this order, whether by the candidate; or a person determined to be associated with, or working on behalf of the candidate; as confirmed and verified by the Election Commission, may result in the disqualification of the candidate(s) involved.

Post-Election Requirements

• In order to be eligible to serve as a 2025-26 Student Senate Member, those elected individuals must attend a MANDATORY Senate Advance April 30, time and location TBD. Failure to attend may result in automatic dismissal from Student Senate.