The Global Union, one of Lehigh’s largest student organizations, is holding elections for a new executive board. There are seven positions available, and all Lehigh students can apply.
Global Union is made up of member clubs and the executive board. The member clubs send representatives to the biweekly meetings of the representative board, while the executive board meets weekly.
The executive board is made up of seven elected positions, an intern and a graduate assistant. The elected positions are: president, vice president, secretary, vice president of graduate student outreach, vice president of club relations, vice president of member programming and vice president of internal programming.
President Mathew Cossel, ’17, is responsible for representing and overseeing the Global Union. He has to preside over all executive board meetings and is generally charged with keeping the organization working smoothly.
“Becoming a part of Global Union is one of the best decisions I have ever made.” Cossel said. “It’s really like a family. The experiences that you’ll have through GU and the events that it puts on will help shape your Lehigh career.”
The vice president of member programming, Angela Young, ’17, is responsible for creating collaborative programming that brings Global Union member clubs together. Additionally, she takes the lead on any training programming developed throughout the year.
Rozhin Hajian, a doctoral candidate in the department of engineering, is the vice president of graduate student outreach. She is in charge of collaborating with the member graduate clubs as well as involving more graduate students in Global Union activities.
“Global Union is one of the largest student organizations on campus, which brings over 50 clubs together,” Hajian said. “Our goal is to foster friendship and cultural knowledge among the whole Lehigh community.”
Young said the different positions work together as a support network, especially when they are planning large-scale events.
To achieve its goals, Global Union works with its member clubs as well as other organizations on campus to hold internationally and culturally focused events. The largest event Global Union hosts is International Week, which consisted of 48 events over the course of 12 days last fall, Cossel said.
Outside of International Week, Global Union hosts other programs such as culture nights and training programs.
The culture nights involve Global Union seeking out underrepresented students on campus to present about their countries.
“We have had people present on Vietnam, Tanzania and Myanmar just to name a few,” Young said.
They have also begun to hold training programming to try to replicate assimilating into a new culture. Last year, Global Union held a Discover China series, and this semester, held a Discover India series.
“These programs aim to give as much of an immersive experience, as much of the countries’ cultures, as you can get without actually going to the country,” Young said.
The Global Union is able to put on these events with the help of its member clubs who, in turn, get to be a part of an organization that can help with funding, logistics, booking space, marketing and any other extra help that is required.
“The overarching goal of Global Union is simply to spread international awareness and celebrate diversity on Lehigh’s campus,” Young said. “We do this through programming that aims to create an inclusive environment for all.”
Cossel said they want a lot of people running for the open positions and hopes it will be competitive.
The deadline to apply is April 25.
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