Guides: Government Information Connection: Politics and Elected Officials: Civic Engagement Resources

Getting involved at UNT

UNT Student Organizations and Activities

UNT Student Activities
One of the goals of Student Activities is to help students make connections on campus and maximize their college experience through student organizations. UNT has over 450 student organizations meaning there's something for everyone.

UNT Governance

UNT Board of Regents The Board of Regents, the governing body for the University of North Texas System, is composed of nine distinguished and dedicated Texans who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.
UNT Faculty Senate The mission of the Faculty Senate is to lead faculty in fulfilling their responsibilities in the shared governance of the University and to represent faculty interests to University and community stakeholders.
UNT Staff Senate UNT Staff Senate fosters communication for staff members at the center of 21st-century education.
UNT Graduate Student Council The Graduate Student Council (GSC) is the official voice and student government for graduate students at UNT. GSC advocates on behalf of UNT graduate students to ensure that university administrators and other stakeholders hear their opinions, needs, and interests.
UNT Student Government Association Student Government Association The Student Government Association is a multi-purpose organization that can grant funding to students for conferences or programming, promote other student organization’s programs, as well as host University-wide events.

Get involved in the Local Community

Participate in local government meetings

Denton County Commissioners Court
Commissioners Court meetings are open to the public. This page offers agendas and information for public participation in commission meetings.
Denton City Council Meetings
Regular City Council meetings and work sessions are open to the public and agendas are posted 72 hours in advance of the meetings. This page offers information about public comments at City Council meetings.
Denton ISD Board of Trustees
Attend Board of Trustees meetings.

Participate in local elections

Texas Volunteer Deputy Registrar
Become a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar. DVR register people to vote and share information about upcoming elections.
Texas Election Training and Education Resources
Resources about becoming an election poll worker or poll watcher.

Volunteer

Engaging at the State Level

Ways to engage at the state level:

Texas Open Meetings Act

All state and regional organizations must adhere to the Texas Open Meeting Act. Following are resources regarding open meeting including guidance and information about posting open meeting notices.

Texas Open Meetings
Both state and regional agencies file open meetings with the Texas Register. Agencies submit their notices to this office through a secure internet site and are immediately available for viewing by the public using the Open Meeting Viewer.
Texas Open Meetings Act Handbook
Provides guidance in complying with the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Texas Government Web Sites

Engaging at the Federal Level

Ways to engage at the federal level:

United States Government Agency Web Sites (a select few)

U.S. Senate
Official Web site. Find speeches and official positions of senators on topics such as national service and volunteerism.
The White House
U.S. House of Representatives
Official home page of the United States House of Representatives.
USA.gov
As the U.S. government‘s official Web portal, USA.gov makes it easy for the public to get U.S. government information and services on the Web. It is an easy-to-search, free-access website designed to provide a centralized place to find information from U.S. local, state, and federal government agency Web sites.

Databases for researching legislation, law, and regulations.

ProQuest Congressional
ProQuest Congressional Includes information on bills, laws, regulations, Congressional publications, current and previous Members of Congress, campaign finance information, financial disclosures, voting records, and committee membership. Also includes the full text of some Congressional reports, documents, and testimonies. Dates of Coverage: 1789 - present
Nexis Uni
Nexis Uni provides access to news, legal, and business sources including journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs, newspapers, and legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes.

govinfo.gov
A service of the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) , govinfo.gov provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the federal government. In addition to providing an advanced, metadata-powered search experience, govinfo.gov also includes a content management system and a standards-compliant preservation repository.

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Government Information Connection: Politics and Elected Officials: Civic Engagement Resources

Civic Engagement Resources