Student government has formed its own leadership organization geared toward freshmen.

It is called “Senators in Training,” or SIT, and is accepting applications.

SIT is an organization to help freshmen get involved on campus.

“It’s used to not only introduce them to senate, allowing them to meet friends, but to teach them leadership techniques and to honestly have a good time,” said junior business management major and co-chair of SIT, Thomas Nierman.

Nierman traveled with fellow senators to a Conference on Student Government Association meeting, also known as COSGA, being held on the Texas A&M campus last semester.

According to its website, cosga.tamu.edu, COSGA is the largest student run committee that brings student leaders together to share experiences.

The Texas A&M student government formed COSGA 28 years ago.

“When I went to COSGA, they had freshmen leadership organizations, or FLOs, all across the campus and that’s where freshmen went to get involved,” Nierman said.

Freshman Jordan Sigunick thought she might be interested in SIT.

“I think it could be helpful. It’s hard for freshmen to get involved on campus when we don’t know anybody,” the family consumer science major said.

Holly Henry, a sophomore political science major along with Nierman, is a co-chair and is “excited to see where it goes.”

“We just put out the applications, and I think we already got so many back. I think students want to be involved, but they just don’t know how, and with SIT, we give that to them,” Henry said.

The Speaker of the Student Senate, Jason Sandidge, picked Henry, who was a freshman senator last year, to co-chair SIT with Nierman.

“Right now it’s an ADHOT committee, so it’s on a trial run,” she said.

An ADHOT committee is a trial run for organizations on campus that will be given full group status with enough members.

Freshmen who become a part of SIT will have to attend leadership training once every two weeks.

“Not a lot of freshmen like the idea of senate because it sounds a little intimidating, but this is a group just for freshmen, and it appeals more because it’s less stressful and demanding,” Nierman said. “And it’s not only for student government. We are taking freshmen and teaching them leadership skills.”

Right now only freshmen can apply for SIT.

“If this goes well, maybe we could open it up to anyone who wants to be involved,” Henry said.

Nierman and Henry are hoping for all 20 to 30 seats available in the SIT program to be filled.

The application can be found at the Student Activities Center or online.

The deadline is Sept. 2.

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-7942 or ovogunbodede@eiu.edu.