By Catherine Anger

Books can be expensive. Each course in James Madison College (JMC), Michigan State University’s residential college in public affairs and international relations, can regularly require several. This makes the JMC Student Senate’s annual Books and Bagels event, a chance to pick up free donated books and enjoy bagels with fellow JMC students, a key moment of mutual aid and connection. With this event and more, the JMC Student Senate stays in tune with the interests and needs of students to drive their community focus throughout the year.

The JMC Student Senate is an elected representative body with caucuses representing each of the college’s majors as well as first-year students. In steering the policies and programming of JMC, senators act as liaisons for their majors on the College Curriculum Committee (CCC), join interviews and write recommendations during faculty hiring processes, and share student opinions in meetings with faculty and deans. Representation of student interests also includes spotlighting survey feedback about the social climate within JMC and co-signing statements to college leadership from student organizations.

“We get to guide our own curriculum and give student input on those curricular decisions,” says JMC Student Senate President Taylor Toth, who served as a representative on the CCC and as chair of the Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy Caucus in 2024-2025. “On top of that, the Senate votes and crafts our own political statements. We have voted and debated on statements related to things going on in the world and in the university, and it gives our students an opportunity to engage in more political advocacy.”

Within the Senate, three committees plan events and programs based on student and senator interests. Books and Bagels, as well as other academic events and collaborations with faculty, are the responsibility of the Academic Programming Committee. Meanwhile, the Social Programming Committee develops extracurricular events to connect JMC students with each other, and the Community Service Network plans Senate participation in and facilitation of service projects.

This year, the Community Service Network led their fellow senators in direct service and giving to community partners, starting with raising awareness of resources provided by Allen Neighborhood Center during the Fall Spartan Day of Service. Programs throughout the year included making tie blankets for the shelter program MSU Safe Place, hosting a blood drive with Versiti, and coordinating a clothing and essential needs drive for The Village Lansing, a nonprofit working to prevent gun violence by providing resources and education to Lansing youth.

“Different caucuses take on different responsibilities,” explains JMC Student Senate Vice President Ava Provins. For example, the Comparative Cultures and Politics caucus, chaired by Provins in 2024-2025, coordinated the clothing and essential needs drive. “We all try to center our events on community building, and it’s a team effort.”

Every spring, the Senate plans the JMC Gala, including collecting donations from several local businesses for a silent auction to benefit a local charity. This year, as a continuation of the clothing and essential needs drive, the Senate donated the silent auction proceeds to The Village Lansing, where spring 2025 JMC graduate Conner Holguin serves as a program director.

“We wanted to support an organization that aligned with the Senate and JMC’s values, and we also want to support and uplift a JMC student,” says Toth about the selection of The Village Lansing.

In both advocacy for student constituents and action to support the programs of partner organizations, the JMC Student Senate is committed to organizing people and resources in support of meaningful causes on and off campus. More information on the JMC Senate, the resources they provide to JMC students, and their service events throughout the year can be found on their website and Instagram.