Advising Team: The professional staff who are assigned to work, coach, and guide the student leadership within the USS. This team includes a senior advisor.
College: One of the nine academic colleges housed within Virginia Tech that are responsible for the execution of the academic curriculum. These nine colleges are College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, Pamplin College of Business, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Natural Resources and the Environment, College of Science, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.
College Senator: A USS Senator representing a college, part of a college, or other significant academic or academic adjacent program.
Director: A selected member of the USS who holds an administrative role that helps the organization to function. Directors do not have voting rights within the USS.
Guests: Any Virginia Tech faculty member, employee, or graduate and professional student.
Living Learning Program: Specialized residential communities designed to integrate students’ academic and social lives into a holistic experience. LLPs aim to create a supportive and engaging environment where students with shared majors, interests, and/or goals, can live and learn together.
Residential District: A connected grouping of communities within the residential campus.
Residential Senator: Consists of both Living Learning Program and Residential District Senators.
Senator: An elected or appointed undergraduate representative who holds voting authority for matters of legislation and internal USS operations. This includes members of the Cabinet. Directors, and assistant directors are not senators and do not hold voting rights within the USS.
Student Member: All enrolled undergraduate students at Virginia Tech.
UCSO: A University Chartered Student Organization (UCSO) is an organization that has significant campus impact through providing resources and/or services that are best delivered by students in conjunction with their sponsoring campus department. This classification of the organization must align with, and is integral to, departmental and university missions to create robust student experiences. A UCSO with voting rights in USS must represent a designated student constituency.
University Governance: The university governance structure, including the Faculty Senate, A/P Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, Graduate and Professional Student Senate, the University Council, all university commissions and committees, and the Board of Visitors.
Undergraduate Student Body: All enrolled undergraduate students at Virginia Polytechnic and State University.
USS: One of the official abbreviations for the full title of the Undergraduate Student Senate at Virginia Tech, and will be used on all the organization’s documents, marketing materials, and other important information.
