Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have a voice through two student body governments on campus.
The Association of Students at the University of Nebraska represents the entire student body at UNL.
"The purpose of ASUN is to give the students a voice in critical decisions that will affect them, whether that will be at the legislative level or the administrative level," said ASUN President Lane Carr, a senior history and political science major.
The organization is made up of an executive board, a senate comprised of different committees and the student judicial body. Each college is allocated a specific number of senators.
ASUN elections are held each March, and students can vote on the executives and senators, approve student fee uses and other special issues that might come up during the year. Each college elects its own senators.
The association offers several services for students, including Student Legal Services, which offers advice and help to students dealing with issues like landlord and tenant disputes, consumer cases or criminal misdemeanors, according to the Student Legal Services website.
ASUN also runs 475-RIDE, a last resort emergency ride program for students, and the Student Money Management Center. The center provides financial advice for students through workshops and one-on-one consultations.
"I think, in reality, there's a lot of things we do that are very helpful for students," Carr said.
Freshmen can get involved in ASUN by applying for the Freshmen College Leadership Associates or other open positions, Carr said.
"They can come in the office or on the website online," he said. "It's a very good way to get involved on campus. It opens the door to other leadership positions."
ASUN communicates with organizations like the Residence Hall Association, which is comprised of student representatives from the various residence halls.
"The Residence Hall Association implements campus-wide events for students to enjoy throughout the year," said RHA President Kevin Rush, a senior special education major, in an email. "In addition, our organizations looks at things that can be done within the residence halls to promote and advocate for a conducive learning environment."
Rush said RHA hosts activities students can attend throughout the year, acting as an alternative to activities off campus. These activities include the "Third Thursday" series of events hosted the third Thursday of each month during the school year.
"In addition, RHA will be offering mugs that serve as the only (beverage) container that can be taken in and out of the dining halls," Rush said. "These mugs will be available at the beginning of the year."
Like ASUN, RHA has an executive board and a senate. The organization is split into six committees.
"Each local government gets allocated a certain number of senators based on the number of students living in that building or complex," Rush said.
RHA receives $4.50 in student fees from each student living in the residence halls, which the organization uses to allocate to other events held for all residence halls or plan large-scale events.
For anybody interested in joining RHA, Rush said there will be information sheets provided by residence directors during the first week of school. Elections for the positions will be held during the last week in August, he added.
Rush encouraged those interested in joining RHA to send an email to unlrha@gmail.com or talk to your residence director in the fall.
"We encourage residents to talk to their RHA senators if they have an idea for an event or if they have a suggestion for how to make the residence halls a better place to live," he said.
kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com
is a member of the 
