Students interested in a Student Government position for next year can pick up a petition starting at 11 a.m. today in the Student Activities Center, located on the second floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, said Student Body President Katie Cox.

Twenty-two positions for Student Senate, five student dean positions and all five student executive officer positions are up for grabs in this year’s election, scheduled for April 17 and 18.

The candidates for senate or student dean must have 25 students sign their petition to be eligible for the position while candidates for an executive officer position must collect 100 signatures, Cox said.

While any student can sign a petition for executive office or student dean, Cox said senate candidates can only collect signatures from their constitutancy; that is, candidates for an on-campus senate seat may only have on-campus students sign their petitions.

The signed petitions will be due in to the Student Activities Center by April 11 at 1 p.m., Cox said.

To be eligible for a senate or student dean position, a candidate must have a 2.25 grade point average, be in good disciplinary standing with the university and be a full-time student. Requirements for executive positions are similar, except only a 2.0 GPA is needed to run.

If elected, senate candidates will be required to attend a weekly meeting and to hold two office hours a week in addition to any additional meetings they choose to attend, said Kristen Rutter, student vice president for academic affairs.

Student deans act as liaisons between the dean of each college and the students and have several tasks, such as attending student advisory board meetings and organizing forums, Rutter said.

Student Government executive officers, which include the student body president as well as four vice presidential positions, work with the university and students on a wide variety of tasks and projects. Executive officers also receive a tuition waiver.

Cox said she hoped students would take advantage of the “unique opportunity” Student Government offers them.

“Those who choose to be involved can really make a difference,” she said.