Freshmen prepare to elect leaders for Senate
Five out of 25 candidates will be selected to fill freshmen Senate positions. The candidates will continue campaigning early next week in hopes of being elected.
By Haley Jones (Contact)
Friday, September 5th, 2008
Student Senate elections for freshmen senators are under way at the University once again.
This year, 25 freshmen candidates are crossing their fingers in hopes of being elected to Student Senate. Campaigning began last Monday for the five open freshmen seats.
Mason Heilman, Lawrence junior and Student Executive Committee chairman, said the freshmen elections provided an early opportunity to get involved in the student government.
Justin Hitt, Topeka freshman, and Alanna Seymour, Shawnee freshman, chalk outside of the Union Thursday. Candidates will continue to campaign for Student Senate into early next week. Freshmen election will be Sept. 9 and 10.
He said even if students didn’t stay involved with Student Senate, the elections informed them about Senate.
“They take that knowledge and experience to other activities they are involved in,” Heilman said.
Heilman said freshmen who did not win one of the senator spots had the opportunity to run for one of five associate senator spots on the five standing committees. He said the number of candidates running in this year’s freshmen election was average.
Heilman said campaigning was off to a slow start because freshmen were hesitant to chalk because of the rain. He said he expected to see more chalking and fliers up early next week.
“Each election has five really ambitious people who are out there the first couple of days,” Heilman said. “Other ones see what they’re doing and start emulating that.”
Heilman said campaigning was not regulated for freshman elections because they were smaller and more focused on networking with other freshmen.
Justin Hitt, Shawnee freshman and Senate candidate, said he was running because he liked the idea of playing a role in campus decision making. Hitt said he thought Student Senate was a powerful organization on campus.
“I want to go into politics at some point, and I figured this would be a good place to start,” he said.
Charlie Flanders, Shawnee freshman and Senate candidate, said he wanted to get involved, meet people and understand how student government worked.
Ian McGonigle, Wichita freshman and Senate candidate, said he wanted to make a difference in students’ lives.
“I saw my friends in leadership in high school, and I thought that was something I wanted to get involved in when I came to college,” McGonigle said.
Freshman elections will be Sept. 9 and 10. Freshmen can vote online at www.studentsenate.ku.edu.
Winners will be announced at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 in the Big 12 room in the Kansas Union.
— Edited by Brieun Scott
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Oh, no. Not more of this. This is bananas.
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