Leadership and Organizations

One significant way to enhance your education is to participate in student organizations and university committees. Students hold over 100 seats on university committees and register more than 1200 student organizations each year. Whether you’re interested in governance, recreation, academic, or career-related groups, this is a great way to meet people and develop leadership skills that will be helpful to your future. If you do not find a student organization that is of interest to you, start your own. Check out the online Student Organization Directory at involve.msu.edu.

ASMSU – YOUR STUDENT GOVERNMENT
The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) is the all-university undergraduate student government at MSU. It is composed of many branches that work together to enhance the Spartan experience for every undergraduate student. The organization is guided by the General Assembly, the legislative body of ASMSU that has representatives from each undergraduate college, Major Governing Groups, the Council of Progressive Students (COPS) groups, and the Council of Racial and Ethnic Students (CORES) groups. Through the efforts of the ASMSU representatives, staff members, Class Council members, Academic Governance members, Student Allocations Board, and their Office of the President, ASMSU strives to advance student interests at Michigan State University, as well as at the city, state, and federal levels of government.

Free & Low-Cost Services for Students: ASMSU provides a variety of services for students such as free legal services, the Safe Ride Program, free access to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Detroit Free Press, and Lansing State Journal via the ASMSU Readership Program, low-cost GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and MCAT test-prep services, $300 interest-free loans, free MSU yearbooks from the Red Cedar Log, free iClicker & graphing calculator rentals, funding for student groups through the Student Allocations Board, class representation through the ASMSU Class Councils, and various other events & programming throughout the year. Visit our website for more information.

ASMSU provides free legal services for all tax-paying undergraduate students. This service entity currently enrolled undergraduate students to receive free legal counsel from one of three full-time staff attorneys on most misdemeanor legal matters. The Student Legal Services Office is located at 556 E. Circle Drive, Room 329 of the Student Services Building and can be contacted at (517) 353-3716.

ASMSU also provides all tax-paying undergraduate students the Student Rights Advocates Program, which provides advice and counsel for students that are involved in the university’s conduct process. Student Rights Advocates are located at 556 E. Circle Drive, Room 320 of the Student Services Building and can be reached by phone at (517) 355-8266 or by emailing the Director of Student Rights Advocates and Legal Services at dsrals@asmsu.msu.edu.

Getting Involved with Your Student Government: Moreover, ASMSU offers undergraduate students a wide range of opportunities to get involved. First, ASMSU has paid staff positions, posted on the ASMSU Handshake, that enable you to engage and develop real-world work experience. If you want to get involved with staff, please contact the ASMSU Chief of Staff at cos@asmsu.msu.edu. ASMSU also has the General Assembly, which allows you to represent the students of your college or representative group through legislation and advocacy. Elections for the GA occur in the fall for vacant positions and in the spring for all colleges. For more information about General Assembly elections please contact the ASMSU Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator at rec@asmsu.msu.edu. ASMSU also has positions on the Student Allocations Board, which vote on funding allocated for student groups. For more information about the Student Allocations Board, email the ASMSU Vice President for Student Allocations at vpsa@asmsu.msu.edu.
ASMSU also provides leadership opportunities for incoming first-years and transfer students specifically through the ASMSU Class Councils. Students with academic standing are eligible to serve on the Class Council correlating with their year. For example, FCC, which is part of ASMSU, serves as a voice for freshman students and conducts various events throughout the year geared toward empowering the freshman class. After FCC, there is SoCC (Sophomore Class Council), JCC (Junior Class Council), and SCC (Senior Class Council), which all are tailored to the needs of that class. For more information, contact the ASMSU Vice President for Internal Administration at vpia@asmsu.msu.edu. All information provided here (and more) is available on the ASMSU website: asmsu.msu.edu.

RESIDENCE HALLS ASSOCIATION, HALL GOVERNMENTS, AND CAUCUSES
The mission of the Residence Halls Association (RHA) is to represent the on-campus residents of Michigan State University objectively and to provide a voice for the concerns of our constituents. RHA promotes the interests of on-campus residents to campus partners, departments and the Board of Trustees. We strive to achieve this by assisting hall organizations with publicity, legislation, funding, and also by providing valuable services and opportunities through our programs. Through these initiatives, RHA is committed to continuously improving the on-campus experience at Michigan State University. We provide services such as RHA TV, RHA On-Demand, contribute to several health services and provide various campus-wide programs; including live concerts, Campus Center Cinemas, and Health and Safety initiatives. RHA also serves as an advocate for the on-campus undergraduate population by working with university administrators to address student issues and concerns. In addition, RHA provides funding to hall governments and identity caucuses in the residence halls. These hall-based groups plan and implement programs, address policy issues and significantly contribute to the quality of life in the residence halls.

RHA, hall governments and caucuses offer excellent leadership opportunities for students. For more information, visit our website at rha.msu.edu, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @MSURHA, email the RHA President at RHA.president@msu.edu, or call (517) 355-8385.

The RHA main office is located in G-7 Holden Hall and its hours are posted on the website.

FRATERNITY AND SORORITY LIFE (FSL)
Fraternities and Sororities have been an active part of the Michigan State University community since 1872. We currently have 60 chapters that are a part of four governing councils including the Multicultural Greek Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Panhellenic Council, and Interfraternity Council. Each council and chapter have something unique to offer, but all promote the highest ideals of scholarship, leadership, philanthropy, and service while building relationships that will last a lifetime.
Through collaboration with students, international organizations, alumni, and the Division of Student Life and Engagement, Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) at Michigan State University fosters a holistic college experience by providing opportunities for scholarship, leadership, and community service. These three opportunities have been outlined by our unit as the foundation of healthy and successful fraternity and sorority chapters and advance the missions of each of our chapters. The defining opportunities are in line with the Division of Student Life and Engagement and furthers the values and goals of Michigan State University.

We encourage you to learn more about our Fraternity & Sorority community by finding us on:
Instagram: @michiganstatefsl
Website: greeklife.msu.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/MichiganStateFraternitySorority

MSU ALUMNI OFFICE – FUTURE ALUMNI
The MSU Alumni Office (MSUAO) is here for every Spartan – including you! Through our Future Alumni efforts, we aim to strengthen your relationship with MSU and introduce you to programs and initiatives that are also available after graduation. We focus on civic engagement and service, community building and philanthropy at MSU. Follow us @msufuturealumni on Instagram or @MSUFutureAlumni on Twitter!

What We Do

We SERVE through the Spartan Days of Service – Volunteer and make an impact in the community! This year’s Spartan Days of Service are Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023; Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023; Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024 and a TBD date in April.

We can CONNECT you (and your group, RSO or organization) to alumni around the world that want to help you throughout your Spartan journey – just ask!

We INVEST in your (or your group’s, organizations, or RSO’s) future through the development of crowd power campaigns that inspire alumni to support what is important to you. Interested in finding out more about student philanthropy? - just ask!”

CELEBRATE – Show your Spartan pride by participating in homecoming activities, October 18-23, 2023. Visit alumni.msu.edu/homecoming for more information.

About the MSU Alumni Office

Beginning with the first time you set foot on MSU’s campus as a student, you start building your Spartan legacy, a legacy that lives on long after you’ve closed your last textbook. The Michigan State University Alumni Office is dedicated to advancing MSU and its alumni by fostering meaningful engagement through connection, service and investment. With over 500,000 alumni representing MSU across the globe, the MSU Alumni Office leverages this collective Spartan power to inspire collaboration and promote positive change. For more information, visit alumni.msu.edu.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
We believe that everyone has the potential for leadership, at any point in their college experience. Our goal is to help you create an integrated and coherent leadership experience that enhances your knowledge and is connected to your academic course of study.

Our leadership development programs are a combination of experiential learning opportunities, skill development, and self assessment programs.

We believe that once a student leader understands and knows themselves and their leadership style, they then have the potential to exert great influence on their organizations, work environments, and future communities. Visit our website at spartanexperiences.msu.edu/leadership/index.html.