Who is Eric Boisen?

All is quiet on the election front, as the runoff looms. You could feel the anticipation last week, but everything seems to be at somewhat of a standstill this week. It'll be interesting to see the decrease in total votes after the runoff, since interest in the election appears to have dropped significantly.

Just a reminder that voting will begin on MyUNIverse tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. and then close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The results of the election will be announced Wednesday night at the bottom of the Grand Staircase in Maucker Union.

With so little excitement in terms of the runoff election, I thought it might be a nice change of pace to turn the spotlight toward the senate, specifically Eric Boisen. Eric was elected to the position of senator for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in last week's election, but I first took notice of Eric for what he did before he was elected.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Eric was passing out buttons and posting campaign profile pics and cover photos to Facebook. Unlike a lot of his fellow candidates, Eric was actually campaigning, and I was a bit taken aback by that.

Much of this blog, in the few weeks of campaigning, has been devoted to the presidential/vice presidential election, with the senate elections forced to take a seat on the back burner. So, in an effort to shine some light on what it means to be an NISG senator, I thought I would take this opportunity to ask Eric a few questions and pick the brain of an enthusiastic senator who seems to take his role in student government very seriously.

Q: Why run for senate? What does that position mean to you?
Eric: I actually ran for senate last year, but being the uninformed freshman I was, I was totally unprepared for the election. I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn't too sure on what NISG even did, and lost pretty handily in the election. I really didn't want that to keep me down though, and I made a decision after that election that I was going to run again. The position of NISG senator means a lot to me, but mainly it means that I am the voice of the students of the CSBS and that I represent UNI. I really love UNI, and in the brief two years I have been here, it has helped me grow in more ways than I can think of. The opportunities UNI has given me have helped me grow so much as a person. Being a part of NISG is just a small way to help give back to the college that has helped me so much.

Q: You were one of the few senatorial candidates who had promotional material on Facebook (i.e. profile pics, cover photos, etc.). You even made campaign buttons! Why put so much effort into it when your fellow candidates don't seem to do the same?
Eric: As I said, I ran last year and lost pretty bad. I wanted to make sure this year that that didn't happen again. You could say I over-prepared for this election. I've always wanted election buttons, so I decided to get some, and the chalking I did was to get my name out there. It was after I was done chalking that I found out that there were only two people on the ballot for three seats in the CSBS. When it comes to the Facebook banners, I enjoy making things like that (though some were crudely made), and just had fun with it. I wouldn't have done all the stuff I did with campaigning if I didn't enjoy doing it, just like I wouldn't have ran if I didn't enjoy it here at UNI. The other senate candidates were smart; they probably spent less time/money on their campaigns than I did and still got elected. But I would not change a thing I did.

Q: What are your goals for your first term as a senator?
Eric: I want to spend my first term as senator making good connections with the other senators, the future president and VP and their cabinet. The better relationship that the senators have with each other and the administration will make the year much more productive and enjoyable for everyone. I also want to make sure we get funding for as many organizations and events as possible. I would love to see UNI change from a "suitcase campus." That is a big goal, something that would take many years to change, but I would like to be part of the senate that starts to change that.

Q: For those who not know, can you explain why senate is so important?
Eric: The senate is where you go if you have an organization that you want recognized by the university or if an organization needs funding. If you have an event you or your organization wants to put on, then senate is where you should go. It is the voice of the students to the student body president and vice president. They bring up concerns that students have about things going on with the university. Just like the United States Congress, we keep the executive branch in check.

I hope that, after hearing from Eric, you have a greater understanding of what it means to be senator and maybe you'll even consider running for a position in your college next year!