Kait Christensen | News Co-Editor

Buena Vista University’s (BVU) Student Senate is hosting elections this week until Friday, April 19 for the executive board. The executive board positions consists of president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary; there will be no returning executive board members next year.

Student Senate had a “Meet the Nominees” session last Thursday, April 11 to talk and answer questions in front of the student body. Each nominee discussed their attributes and ideas if they are elected for an executive board position.

Current Student Senate Vice President and junior Andy Schanbacher is organizing the elections for both executive board and general election.

“The voting for Student Senate executive board is this week from April 15-19. The general election will be from April 29- May 3,” Schanbacher said.

The nominations have made posters and are prepared for the chance to get onto the executive board for next year.

“The officers are known and sworn in during our Inaugural Banquet in the spring. They will be in charge of Student Senate for the 2013-2014 school year,” Schanbacher said.

Student Senate President and senior Seth Lindokken points out the great responsibilities that the Student Senate Executive Board will continue to take on next year. He explained that there are a number of priorities the nominees will face and the responsibilities will be focused on taking care of the student body.

“The point is that there are a lot of responsibilities and priorities that members of the Student Senate, especially members of the executive board, have to juggle on a daily basis. Fortunately, the candidates we have before us this year are all up to the task. They have each demonstrated that they are capable of serving as a leader in the Student Senate, both through their work as senators and through their work in other campus organizations and activities,” Lindokken said.

Lindokken discussed that Student Senate has faced several large topics this year and explained that several of these issues will still be addressed by next year’s team.

“Student Senate has had the opportunity to tackle a number of different issues this year that directly impact students. We worked with members of the faculty and administration to change the academic catalog to allow independent and directed study courses to be offered during Interim. Also, we are currently working on introducing a system that allows students who attend more than eight ACES events in a given semester to carry some of the extra events over into the next semester, which will give students greater flexibility in their ACES attendance,” Lindokken said.

He continued on to discuss what other issues Senate has faced this year and will continue to be looked at as next year’s executive board are sworn in and take on their roles.

“Beyond the academic side of things, we presented a full report to the President’s Council detailing the student body’s concern about the additional suite fees that are set to take effect next fall, we continue to meet with Sodexo on a regular basis to discuss issues related to campus dining services, and we are currently in the process of allocating funds to student organizations for the 2013-14 school year,” Lindokken said.

Each nominee is excited to take on the role for a position on Student Senate’s executive board. There are seven nominees looking for a spot on the team.

Running for Student Senate President is be junior Caitlin Hoffman. Hoffman has been active in Senate for three years and is looking forward to her fourth year next year. She was been involved in the Admissions and Retention, Senators Serving Students, Outreach, and Events Committees. Hoffman is also involved in several other organizations on campus.

There are two nominations for Student Senate Vice President. Junior Amber Riedy has been involved in Student Senate for three years and will continue for her fourth year next year. She has been involved in the Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Policy Advisory, and Admissions and Retention Committees. Riedy is also active in several other organizations across campus.

Sophomore Kirsten VanZuiden is also running for Student Senate Vice President. This is her second year on Student Senate, and she is excited to continue working with the student body with new ideas. VanZuiden has been involved in the Senators Serving Students, Admissions and Retention, and Finance and Financial Aid Committees. VanZuiden is an active member of several organizations on campus.

Three senators are running for Student Senate Treasurer. Sophomore Aaron Burns has been actively involved in Student Senate for two years. He has been involved in the Information Resources, Food, Policy Advisory, and Special Events Committees. Burns is active in several organizations on campus.

Freshman Meghan Harmening has been active in Senate for her first year. She is involved in the Finance and Financial Aid and Policy Advisory Committees in Senate. Harmening has been active in other organizations on campus, also.

Freshman Josh Fortmann has been a member of the Student Senate for one year. He is involved in the Information Resources and Safety and Maintenance Committees. Fortmann is involved in several organizations on campus.

Sophomore Lynsey Seuntjens will be running for Student Senate Secretary. She has been involved in Senate for two years. Seuntjens has been involved in the Special Events, Student Conduct Board, and Policy Advisory Committees. She is also involved with several other groups on campus.

“I encourage everyone to take the time to cast their ballots this week so that we can welcome in a new executive board for next year that best represents the student body,” Lindokken said.

Next year’s Senate will have their plates full as they continue to work on reaching out to the student body. Voting will end on April 19, and soon after, the voting for general elections will begin. There will be information in BVUNews for general election information for students willing to run for next year. Students can vote for the Student Senate Executive Board by the information desk in the Forum.

Photos Courtesy of Kait Christensen