From cafeteria improvements to student engagement, the student government candidates are determined to enrich student life at UNK. Current student body president and student regent Sam Schroeder is seeking re-election alongside vice president candidate Paige Oltmans.
Driven by positive change, they aim to make campus more connected, one initiative at a time.
“I think there’s two dynamics to why I believe students should vote for us,” Schroeder said. “One part is the experience that we both have. But also the new promise of what we have. I think we’ve done a lot so far and we will continue that, but we can also offer a lot of new things.”
Although they are running unopposed, with their experience, leadership and passion for advocacy, the two are excited to introduce new initiatives.
Schroeder and Oltmans’ platform is built on three pillars: engage, empower and evolve. “Engage” focuses on collaborating with student organizations and expanding opportunities, while “empower” aims to give students the resources to strengthen themselves and their organizations. “Evolve” is about overcoming adversity and ensuring students have the support needed to succeed.
Student government has already made strides in supporting student organizations. The Student Organization Act, helps new groups secure necessary resources to start. So far, they’ve helped fund and establish six new clubs, distributing $3,000 to support their growth. With additional funding available, they aim to further invest in student organizations and engagement.
“We think by having a more involved campus we can build a better community, which makes the students more successful,” Oltmans said. “That makes the university more successful. We’ve also talked about having a centralized platform in which students can discover organizations and get in contact with the leadership.”
As part of their platform, Schroder and Oltmans are working to create a student advisory committee for The Graze, UNK’s cafeteria, to include student input. This committee would collaborate with Sodexo and students, to improve student dining options.
“I think this will benefit sustainability as well,” Schroeder said. “Hypothetically, we’ll throw away less food if more students are eating food they like. It’s also more inclusive for students with allergens.”
Oltmans said her ongoing goal is to provide free period products in residence halls, similar to those already available in academic bathrooms. She wants to implement permanent dispensers and collaborate with Residence Life to ensure they are consistently stocked.
Schroder and Oltmans will continue the initiatives made with former student body vice president Zane Grizzle, a junior majoring in political science.
Sand volleyball courts are in the process of being built in place of the former University Residence South building, which once housed fraternity and sorority chapters. Schroeder said he thinks the sand volleyball courts will not only benefit the athletic department, but any student looking to get involved. This also adds more opportunities for intramurals and the Campus Recreation Center.
Grizzle, who was also a former resident assistant, saw firsthand that many international students lack personal vehicles. He advocated for trolley systems to transport students to grocery stores.
“I learned that a lot of international students love to cook, and I knew they couldn’t go to the grocery stores as often as they’d like,” Grizzle said. “Now, international students can reach out to the Intercultural Engagement and Leadership office and use the trolley service on weekends to shop for groceries and necessities.”
Schroder said that student government is important because all students pay a fee that goes back into students, and the student government gets to decide how it is used. During Schroder and Grizzle’s term, they had a budget of $60,000. This is a part of the SABC fund, which is shared between LPAC and the student government.
Unused funds don’t roll over and instead revert back to the university. Grizzle said about 20% of the budget went back to the university.
Elections will take place March 5-6, with ballots sent to students Loper email.
