Lopers,
As the spring 2026 semester begins, it is an honor to provide you, my constituents and colleagues, with an update on the affairs of student government and the University.
At the end of last semester, Vice President Paige Oltmans coordinated a partnership with our campus dining partner, Sodexo, to implement a meal swipe donation program. Under this program, during the last week of the semester, students could donate up to three of their unused meal swipes, and Sodexo would make a $3.50 per swipe donation to the Loper Pantry. Each swipe made a difference, and thanks to you and all who donated, the Loper Pantry received a $2,341.50 donation from Sodexo. This donation will go a long way for students facing challenges accessing food or personal hygiene products.
In other news, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents convened on Thursday, Jan. 15, to consider the purchase of Clarkson Regional Health Service’s 50% share of Nebraska Medicine. This measure passed unanimously, meaning the University of Nebraska will begin finalizing the purchase and become the sole owner of Nebraska Medicine, the largest hospital in the state of Nebraska.
Also considered at this meeting were increases in room and board rates among the three undergraduate NU campuses and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA). While proposals to increase rates at NCTA, UNL and UNO were approved, UNK will see no increase in room and board costs for the upcoming year. During the board meeting, I asked the board to oppose the UNK proposal, which would increase the average room and board costs by over $1,000 over three years. I cited data from the Office of Residence Life illustrating the simple fact that the current rates are not drawing enough students in to justify an increase.
My plea was heard by the regents, who voted unanimously to keep rates steady for the next year. I credit this outcome to advocacy from my fellow student regents, who supported my reasoning and differentiated the housing situations of their respective campuses to our campus. Notably, at UNO, there is a waiting list for students wanting to live in the dorms. Conversely, last semester, roughly 25% of the beds on campus were vacant.
This action by the Regents should send a message to the UNK administration: the current approach to recruiting students to live in the dorms must evolve – whether it be by expanding the number of meal plan options to offer more affordable choices for campus residents, offering more single rooms or using waivers as an incentive for students to choose living on campus, rather than missing out on potential revenue. I worry that if the approach does not change, our campus will continue to lose students and face deep budget cuts to offset declining revenue.
This past winter break was used as an opportunity to plan for the rest of the student government term, which ends in April. This planning has included amendments, spending bills and improvements to Senate procedures that will be proposed throughout the term. Notably, I am hoping to pass a large campus events spending bill to sponsor campus activities throughout the semester. I, along with members of the Senate, am working to coordinate and sponsor several events, including a campus art showcase, several UNK athletic events, a sustainability week and more. It is my hope that by contributing to programming on campus, we can enhance the sense of community that students feel, while providing different communities the chance to highlight themselves.
In closing, I would like to say thank you for the opportunity to serve you and to lead our student government.
