The roles and responsibilities of our elected student representatives.

Election season for the SAMU executive committee (EC) is coming up again in March. Students are heavily encouraged to vote every year, but nobody really seems to know what they’re actually voting for. 

Members of the executive committee make $45,000.60 annually, including benefits and sick days, all paid through student SAMU fees, so it’s important to vote for the candidate that represents your interests the best because you’re paying for it.

The executive committee consists of the president and four vice-presidents who work on different areas of campus leadership: academic, external, student life, and governance and finance. 

SAMU’s outline of the specific roles and responsibilities of each executive committee member is quite obtuse, but at the end of the day, they’re there to advocate for students in their respective areas of responsibility. They are the ones who liaise with the university on your behalf, which usually means having meetings and sitting on committees.

Another important thing to know is that SAMU is not MacEwan. They are different organizations. SAMU’s executive committee represents students and MacEwan’s executives represent the university.

President

The president is the face of SAMU. In addition to overseeing the responsibilities and projects of the vice-presidents, the president “serves as the official spokesperson of SAMU and principal contact for SAMU legal affairs,” according to SAMU’s Roles and Responsibilities of Elected Representatives policy. In other words, when people want to talk to the students’ association, they would talk to the president. 

The president serves as the point of contact for the MacEwan board of governors and faculty and staff associations.

Essentially, the president speaks for SAMU, which in turn, speaks for students.

Vice-president academic

The Vice-president (academic) looks after academic affairs, as the name suggests. They sit on multiple university committees and serve as a liaison between students and department chairs, deans, and the provost.

The current serving vice-president (academic), Chioma Uzor, has focused her campaign on transparency in grading criteria and the affordability of student support systems, for example. 

Your elected vice-president (academic) is also responsible for advocating for students in rooms where your academic matters are up for debate. They will be who you contact to help you through appeals and academic grievances.

Vice-president external

SAMU’s external relationships, whether with government or other stakeholders, fall under the vice-president (external) portfolio. They ensure the student body’s voice is heard, and report their work back to both the students’ council and the rest of EC.

While the other members of the EC advocate for students on campus, the vice-president (external) ensures that students’ voices are heard outside the university too.

Vice-president governance and finance

The vice-president (governance and finance) oversees the financial affairs of SAMU and mainly concerns internal operations. Think building operations, financial planning, and administration concerns. 

Student fees and affordability are always top priorities for the student body, and ensuring financial stability for students is a common campaign promise for this role. Whether they uphold this promise is up to you to decide.

Vice-president student life

Non-academic activities happening on campus are the responsibility of the vice-president (student life). 

Student groups, SAMU programs, and the general student life experience are all within the portfolio of the vice-president (student life). Your experience as a student member of SAMU is their concern. This gives the position a lot of freedom to focus on what they specifically want during their campaign.

A lot of the real actions taken by the EC are up to the elected individuals. SAMU provides general outlines and responsibilities, but much of it is meetings and conversations behind closed doors. 

Who we specifically elect as a student body is what shapes the effectiveness of our student representatives, which is why your vote matters. Especially when we’re paying them almost $50,000 a year.

Originally published on March 1, 2026.