Each year, Student Government holds elections for any and all freshmen who are interested in joining the senate. From there, several students can campaign; two of those students will be granted the opportunity to represent their class as freshmen senators.
Ella Ferguson, this year’s election commissioner said that she feels excited about the election process.
“Right now we are doing freshman senate and then in the spring, we’ll get to some more elections of the entire senate,” Ferguson said. “Right now it’s exciting because we are trying to expand our communication with the student body.”
Interested freshmen are required to attend at least one informational meeting regarding the rules surrounding their campaign and what their position will entail. These informational sessions were held on Sept. 13 and 14 in the Student Engagement Office by Ferguson and Renae Zimmer, adviser of Student Government.
There, Ferguson and Zimmer were able to connect with potential candidates. The candidates were then asked to verify that they hadn’t violated any campus policies. Once they accomplished that, they could then fill out an application to run. This opened up the opportunity to campaign around campus and gain traction on voting support.
Austin Schroeder, a freshman election candidate, shared his purpose behind applying to become a freshman senator.
“I’m in political science and I believe that I can help create change at UNK,” Schroeder said. “I believe that I can help students’ voices and the student body government to be heard.”
Voting will begin on Oct. 5 and close at 5 p.m. on Oct. 6. Students in the freshmen class are encouraged to vote via email and choose who their leadership on campus will be.
There are currently five candidates for freshmen senate, but only two of them will receive the position through popular student voting. This decision will determine what selected freshmen will represent their class for the 2023-24 academic year.
