Student Senate election held to fill first-year, CBE positions

Student Senate elections will be held on Monday, Oct. 8 and Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Students will be sent an email link that directs them to the ballot. This is the only way to vote in the election.

There are approximately 20 seats in the Senate, but there are six open spots for the fall election.

Four of the positions are for first-year students only. These spots are reserved to ensure that new students to campus have representation.

With the other positions being filled last spring, this is the first opportunity for new students to have their voices be heard.

The other position is for an at large spot. Any student is qualified to run for that position. This position became open after Matthew Hobbs was appointed to be the vice president by Senate President Bobbi O’Brien.

The other position is for a member of the College of Business and Economics.

Student Life Director and Senate Advisor Paul Shepherd said, “The Student Senate has vacant seats due to students resigning from Student Senate positions and taking board positions. Each college needs a Student Senate representative.”

Currently, the College of Business and Economics does not have a representative because the previous representative resigned. There is also a seat for an at large position.

A student in a position of at large, can be at any academic level.

There are seats on student committees that need to be filled as well.

Shepherd said, “Students can’t get people interested enough. Students who are interested don’t know about them. If they are interested, first-year students can apply for positions on committees and they do not need to be a student senator.”

Participating in the Senate and representing each college can help improve that given college.

Each semester brings new issues to the campus community and Senate elections can bring new ideas to student government.

Collaboration between the campus community and the Senate is important in governing the UW–River Falls campus and general community.

Senate also discusses campus policies which are important to students and affect their education and general participation in the campus community.

Student senators discussing policies can help the general student community, because they are able to relate to students on an even wavelength.

Students having a say in policies on campus can help them feel included in discussion of important issues, which can lead to changes that could satisfy the student population and give students a feeling of leadership and contribution to the improvements on campus policies and issues, on their own terms.

The upcoming election will give new students and returning students a chance to make suggestions to Student Senate, whereby maintaining student government and ensuring that students have a positive experience on campus and be independent in making choices that will affect the campus community.