UMW IS ABOUT COMMUNITY
Political science students like to be involved in the UMW community and civic action. There are many opportunities on campus to engage your passion, utilize your skills and meet like-minded peers:
- Citizens for Democracy
- Young Democrats
- College Republicans
- Honor Council
- Student Conduct Review Board
- Student Government
- Pre-Law Club
- UMW Mock Trial
- Women’s and Gender Studies Student Association
- International Relations Association
- The Center for Leadership and Media Studies
- Feminists United
- Young Americans for Freedom
- NAACP @ UMW
- UMW Votes
- And many more!
Being involved on campus greatly enhances your UMW experience and enriches your studies as a Political Science or International Affairs major. These clubs and organizations help students take their learning from the class room to real world experiences. The Political Science or International Affairs majors push you to think and act logically and critically and those skills are applicable everywhere. They also provide unique experiences that may aid in post-grad endeavors or help you get out of your comfort zone.
“I am the President of UMW Honor Council. I have been serving as a representative since my freshman year. Honestly, I joined Honor Council for personal growth reasons because I was very shy in high school. I didn’t know UMW had an Honor Council until I took the Honor Tutorial that all freshman are required to take when they arrive at UMW and I decided that I would talk to them at Club Carnival. Ultimately, running for Honor Council and then getting a seat fufilled one of my personal college goals to break out of my shell and become a campus leader. My experience on Honor Council has equipped me with the skills to become a better impartial critical thinker and more comfortable expressing my views and positions, which are necessary for success as an International Affairs major and life afterward. My involvement allows my to attend, volunteer, and now present at regional conferences around the country hosted by the International Conference for Academic Integrity to speak about our honor system and learn about other student and faculty run honor systems at other Universities across the country and even across the world. So far I have attended conferences in New Orleans and West Virginia.”
“I was involved in the executive branch of the Student Government during my time at Mary Washington. I served as the Director of Communications during my Junior year and then as the President in my Senior year. I chose the Student Government because I wanted to get involved with an organization that was able to make a change for all students on campus. I chose the Director of Communications role because I believe I am a good communicator and wanted to contribute my skills to the improvement of the organization’s visibility and accessibility to the campus. As the President I wanted to make sure students of color on campus were accurately represented to administrators and the Board of Visitors. The Student Government helped enhance my education in Political Science by allowing me to practice the processes and rules of our established government, especially here in Virginia, in a practical student to student manner. The Student Senate is modeled after our own General Assembly and the roles and structure painted a clear picture of how government works at the state level.
This past year the Student Government was also able to attend Lobby Day, a day in which members are able to go to Richmond to meet with our representatives throughout the state. We were also able to be introduced on the House floor by Delegate Joshua Cole of Fredericksburg. The opportunities my campus involvement offered me was extensive. As President you are required to present to the University’s Board of Visitors twice a semester, granting you practice at presentation and public speaking with the highest decision makers at the university. You are also granted monthly meetings with the president of the University as well as weekly meetings with the Dean of Student Life who serves as the organizations advisor. Outside of administrative duties, the role grants you acceptance to many clubs events and meetings as it is a chance to hear from many students around campus to gain a thorough understanding of their issues and their perspective.”