Fine Print - (The RULES)

Fine Print - (The RULES)

Requirements for the Positions and Rules Governing the Election of Nominees for Student Regent (University of Alaska) and Student Commissioner (Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education)

Alaska law stipulates that each campus will select two nominees for student regent and student commissioner through an election held under rules established by the governor. The following are the requirements for the position and rules to carry out the election of nominees. The appointment term is June 1, 2023 through May 31, 2025.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

A student must:

  • be enrolled and remain enrolled as a full-time student (12 credits undergraduate, 9 credits graduate) [Alaska Statutes 14.40.130 and 14.42.015.e].
  • carry a cumulative 2.5 G.P.A. (or if freshman status, must have proof on high school transcript of 2.5 cumulative G.P.A.) [Office of the Governor]
  • be a student at a particular campus [Alaska Statutes 14.40.150 and 14.42.015.e].
  • be a United States citizen [Alaska Statute 14.40.130].
  • be a resident of Alaska [Alaska Statute 14.40.130].
  • if 18 years of age or older prior to the last general election, must be a registered voter in the State of Alaska [Alaska Statute 39.05.100].  For copies of excerpts of these statutes, email ua-bor@alaska.edu

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS

Failure to submit the below listed documentation will result in deletion from the list of nominees submitted to the governor!

  • election certification;
  • names of all candidates in the local election and the number of votes they each received;
  • letters of recommendation;
  • proof of cumulative 2.5 G.P.A. (unofficial transcript);
  • resume or brief personal biography;
  • copy of Alaska Driver’s License or other Alaska State I.D. 

ELECTION RULES/PROCEDURES

  • The University of Alaska Board of Regents’ Office will disseminate instructions regarding the nomination, election and reporting of the student regent and student commissioner elections.  The campus director or chancellor will appoint an ad-hoc student appeal board in cases of alleged voting irregularities.
  • Only students may appear on the ballot and be nominated for the position of student regent.
  • An election will be held on each campus; this may occur in the fall or spring semester.  A campus is defined by the Board of Regents as a university institution in any of the following locations:  Anchorage, Bethel, Dillingham, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Nome, Palmer, Sitka, Soldotna, and Valdez. For the student representative position on the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, Alaska Pacific University is included as a campus.
  • Elections will be conducted by local student associations on each campus. In the case where no established student association exists, an ad-hoc student group will be appointed by the local administration (campus director or chancellor).
  • Each local student association or group will provide nominating petitions, advertising, and adequate polling time(s) and place(s) for the election.
  • The nominating petitions will contain the requirements for the position, a minimum of three signatures of students who endorse the nomination of the candidate, the deadline for submitting the petition, and the date of the election.
  • The local student association or group will establish an election committee to oversee the election, polls, and counting of ballots if such is not provided for in the organization of the group.  Voting discrepancies will be resolved by the election committee or appealed to the ad-hoc student appeal board for final settlement within 24 hours after the election. If not appealed, the election results will be attested to by the election committee and become final 24 hours after the election.
  • The local student group is responsible for meeting the following timetable in relation to the election:
    • Nominating Petition Deadline - minimum of one week prior to election.
    • Elections should be advertised at least one week prior to election.  Nomination petition availability should be advertised at least one week prior to petition deadline.
    • Elections must be conducted by February 15, 2023.
    • Results and application material must be received by the Board of Regents’ Office at the close of business on March 1, 2023. 
  • Each student may vote as determined by the requirements of local student associations or groups.  No student may vote more than once.  Each student will cast a vote for only one candidate for each position. Students may vote only for candidates from their respective campus.
  • All elections will be by secret ballot.
  • Each voter must satisfy election or polling officials of their status as qualified students to vote in the election.
  • A campus will be allowed to submit, through the Board of Regents’ Office to the Office of the Governor, the names of two nominees for each position who receive the greatest number of student votes in a campus election.
  • In a situation where there is a tie vote between a second and third place candidate, the local student association will elect, or if there is no organized group, the ad-hoc student group will elect, by secret ballot, the second candidate for its campus from among the tied candidates.
  • Local student associations are responsible for forwarding results to the Board of Regents’ Office. The requested information will be mailed to the Board of Regents’ Office, University of Alaska, 2025 Yukon Drive, Suite 202A, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5300 or scanned to ua-bor@alaska.edu.  The office telephone number is (907) 450-8010.  If scanned, the information must be legible to be accepted.
  • The Board of Regents’ Office will be responsible for delivering the names of the candidates to the Office of the Governor by March 15, 2023.

Questions regarding the process should be directed to Brandi Berg, Board of Regents' Office, University of Alaska Statewide System, (907) 450-8010, or by electronic mail to ua-bor@alaska.edu.