berglunds@lopers.unk.edu
Three UNK students are gearing up for the student body president elections which will determine the student body trustee for next year.
Campaigning started this week for the candidates, and voting will open Wednesday, March 2.
Emily Saadi, a UNK junior, is running for student body president with Zach Zavondy as vice president. Saadi said she is running because she wants to advocate for the current issues that she – along with other students – are passionate about.
Saadi and Zavondy’s campaign points are collectiveness, cooperativeness and transparency, diversity, equity and inclusion – of which Saadi wants to emphasize and promote the necessity. She also wants to draw attention to mental health, student engagement, student involvement and modernization.
Saadi hopes to hold administration accountable for renovations on campus while maintaining a clear line of communication, especially with upcoming Greek housing and library renovations. She also wants to make sure campus is moving toward modernization in the best way to serve the student body.
“Our goal is to genuinely advocate for the student body and their needs,” Saadi said. “So, one thing over the next week we will be doing is utilizing our social media platforms to get student feedback on different issues on campus – what they are looking for, what they want to see – so we really can advocate for what students truly want right now.”
Aidan Weidner, a UNK sophomore, is running for president with Olivia Koenig as vice president. Weidner decided to run due to his “ever growing love” for campus, and he wants to be able to make a difference when he can.
Weidner and Koenig’s campaign points include campus involvement, mental health, campus affordability, campus safety, diversity and campus pride.
For campus improvements, Weidner wants to enhance renovations to the library and athletic facilities. He also wants to utilize green space to make it visually appealing and accessible to students as well as make parking improvements.
Campus pride is another point Weidner wants to emphasize. He wants to encourage students to go out and support other student organizations on campus. He also wants UNK students – when not part of a tour – to give a “raw testimony” of what campus is like.
“As much as I would love to serve UNK, I know regardless of whoever the student body votes for, I can ensure they will have a great leader in place,” Weidner said.
Landon Seibert, junior and speaker of the senate at UNK, is running for president with Jocelyn Rauert as vice president. Seibert’s passion for UNK is what motivated him to run for president.
Seibert and Rauert’s campaign points include mental health, expansion of the bookstore as a virtual bookstore with discounted books, increasing diversity, equity and inclusion on campus, becoming an ally for students and inspiring loper pride.
For more Loper pride, Seibert hopes to get more students to go to other student organizations and athletic events to support fellow students.
Seibert said UNK is a very unique and diverse campus, and everyone deserves a voice which is behind their slogan, “Be you. Be heard.”
“I’ve loved every minute at UNK,” Seibert said. “I have a passion for making students’ lives on campus better, so I want to be able to be an advocate for all the students on campus and show what UNK has to offer.”
The winner of the election will be announced at 6:30 p.m. on March 3 on the student engagement and student government Twitter and Instagram pages.
