Your relationship with school administrators — good or bad — will directly influence how much success your organization has this year. Looking back on my experience as student body president at Virginia Polytechnic University, some fundamental strategies come to mind for getting what you want without alienating important campus officials.

Build Coalitions
Get to know key administrators, faculty, and staff. As student body president, I attended and addressed faculty and staff senate meetings to get their perspective on campus issues. These contacts provide first-hand history about the university, SG, and key "players" that will help you develop a greater understanding of campus politics.
Be proactive in sharing the student perspective. Invite faculty and administrators to meetings and activities where their expertise will be of value. You'll benefit from the two-way exchange of information and feedback, and you'll create goodwill among school staff who'll appreciate your interest.
Ask the university president to deliver a "state of the school" address. This will help SG, as well as the student body, learn more about the university's direction, and to ask questions of key staffers. It also will demonstrate your desire to work cooperatively with the university's leadership.
Meet with college officials to share concerns and brainstorm solutions. Communicating regularly builds a trusting and working relationship. Use your access and influence in a cooperative, not a critical or threatening manner.
Don't forget other student organizations. Involve established clubs and Greek groups because they have ready-made ways to reach critical subpopulations of your student body. Particularly in times of crisis, they can help you inform and mobilize students. And regularly attending their fund raisers, socials, or meetings shows members that you're accessible and care about them.

Stay Focused
Prioritize your issues. Picking too many or unattainable goals to accomplish in a year or a semester will dilute your ability to affect change. If you set more realistic goals, you'll earn respect from the administration.
Have a good organizational structure. You can better emphasize important issues if you minimize criticism aimed at your group because you haven't set goals and developed well-thought-out strategies. Don't be afraid to delegate to responsible staffers.
In spite of political differences within your group, give all relevant information to your successors. Student leaders' effectiveness and power are limited by frequent turnover. Administrators can simply 'wait them out' unless SG is so organized, focused, and well-managed that even yearly changes in leadership and ideology will not cause the student body to lose ground.
Don't allow critics to distract you. Keep your overall vision as well as short-term objectives in mind. If you're convinced that your cause is justified, stay on track.

Choose Your Battles
Don't pick fights with the administration. This tactic creates tension and makes officials think you're immature and only interested in building up your ego or your resume. When campus media won't cover you or write a story unless your position conflicts with the administration, don't be tempted to start an unnecessary battle just to get attention.
Don't be afraid to fight for the real issues. Not every issue needs to be fought through the media — that's why you've created a working relationship with key officials. I remember once having a proposal from the university to increase student fees. Our objections were handled during budget-related meetings and by speaking directly to those who initiated the proposal.
Don't get impatient. Most administrators have been out of school long enough that they may not fully understand current conditions facing students. And the administration is trying to balance multiple responsibilities — students are only one of the key publics they deal with. They also struggle to please faculty, legislators, trustees, parents, alumni, and accrediting boards. It's possible for them to overlook or not relate to a particular cause or issue. Whenever possible, it's your role to fill informational voids and clarify the student perspective.

A Few Reminders
Schools are essentially "big business." They protect their investments by maintaining a good image, winning research dollars, and getting along with community leaders, activists, benefactors, and athletic fans. However, they shouldn't "snowball" SG or neglect students' needs. If the latter occurs, good organization and a willingness to bring crucial issues to the forefront through well-managed protests are an option.
Technology is a big influence. As more sophisticated methods for sharing information like e-mail, the Internet, and electronic faxing become available, today's students have more power because they can easily voice their concern and influence larger numbers of opinion leaders. Master available technological resources before your 'opposition,' to stay ahead in the information game.
Ultimately, power comes not from simply being the SG or holding a visible position, but rather from being an effective leader. True leverage comes from working with administration to identify and jointly pursue campus or community-wide goals.

     To be an influential, respected leader, look beyond the timeline of your own brief tenure to envision and pursue goals that will benefit not only you and your peers, but generations of students to follow.

Ronnie Stephenson was 1993-94 student body president at Virginia Tech University.

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