What to Watch For

Now that election season is all wrapped up, I thought I'd detail some things to watch for as we go into the end of the year. It was a hard fought campaign up and down the ticket, and I can't be the only one who is glad this is all finally over. As the snow starts to melt and we start making our plans for spring break, here's What to Watch For from NISG for the rest of the semester.

Senate

While at least it's over for me, in reality things are just getting started for the newly elected Senate. The Senate has several returning senators as well as plenty of new ones, and those senators will get their first taste of action with the transitional Senate meetings. These meetings take place before the current Senate's term is up, so there is a little overlap from one year to the other . In these meetings new senators get briefed on the procedures and rules for writing legislation as well as speaking and debating on the senate floor. Most importantly, Senate will elect a Speaker to act as their leader and will handle behind-the-scenes responsibilities such as putting together the agenda for the meetings as well as presiding over the meetings themselves. Technically, any student can apply and become speaker, not just senators, but it's likely that several of those just elected will be nominated for the position. This speaker is elected by a simple majority of the transitional senate.

Scoop: I've mentioned before that CHAS Senator Aaron Friel is eyeing the speakership, and judging by the number of elected senators that got behind his platform, it's likely he'll be Speaker next year. Since he's released his platform, he's already been contacted by people in the DOR regarding the catering policy, so look for Senate to address this in their first few weeks in office.

Cabinet Appointments

Among the many things that the newly elected Evans-Beard administration will pursue right away is getting people to apply and interview for Cabinet positions. Between the Director of Administration/Finance (DoA), Director of Govt. Relations (DoGR), the Director of Public Relations (DoPR), and Director of Diversity and Student Life (DDSL), Katie and Renae have some very very important personnel decisions to make. Cabinet directors have nearly as many responsibilities as the President and VP, and its absolutely critical that Katie and Renae get a team of hardworking students that make the most out of their positions.

DOA- This year's DOA, Carl Reitz, submitted a request to increase NISG's total budget in the years ahead, due to increased student interest and use of NISG funds and resources. The next DOA will want to keep the momentum Carl is passing on, as well as continue to increase access and availability of NISG funds. There's a reason that the DOA is paid the most out of all the cabinet positions, so KR's pick here will be important.

DoGR- Outgoing DoGR Tori Hurst has held the position for two years, so the next DoGR would be wise to learn as much as they can from her while she's here. Every legislative session is a critical time for UNI in an era of being underfunded, but we could be turning the corner. The next DoGR will not only be hyperaware of UNI's position in Regents funding, but also continuing relations between NISG and the City of Cedar Falls. Last week's senate meeting saw an outstanding showing from city officials from the mayor to the fire dept. With the new rental ordinance, all eyes will be on the City to see how it affects students. Next year isn't an election year, but it will be a caucus year, so in addition to maintaining relations at all levels, the DoGR will also be involved with getting students to participate in the caucuses as well as the myriad of candidate visits to campus.

DoPR and DDSL- I honestly don't know much about these positions in spite of dating a former DoPR, but these two cabinet positions are critical in shaping the priorities that Katie and Renae want to focus on throughout the year. With the implementation of the women's center being a focus of the campaign, watch for KR to get DDSL involved with those plans.

All nominations for the cabinet have to be approved by the Senate, which typically doesn't involve any drama. However, two years ago after a close election race, Tom and Blake's noms for DoGR and DDSL were denied by the Senate in a controversial nomination hearing where many feelings were hurt. Barring a controversial choice by KR, expect noms to go through unhindered.

Election rules

Wait, election rules again already? Well maybe. Considering that Chief Justice Nathan Davis is returning next year, expect his experience to be a benefit to next year's elections. He shared with me that he's already got ideas on how to improve and clarify some ambiguous things in the current rules, and he's also been looking at how other schools do elections and what might work at UNI. There's also been talk of extending the election season, but only for Senate candidates. The thinking is that the season will start for Senate one week earlier than the Presidential campaigns. Personally I think this is a great idea. Giving students more time to get to know about/decide to run for Senate is a win-win, and I think it'll result in more candidates on the ballot, and maybe even contested Senate races!!



All told, I've have a very enjoyable time with the blog, and I hope you have too. It means a lot when people actually read the stuff I write, and it means more when people get involved on campus, particularly student government. Now that election season is over, make sure to support your representatives and help them out by staying involved. It takes the effort of many to keep the gears turning, and the UNI community needs all types. With this, my time on the blog has ended. It's been a pleasure, and make sure to tune in next year for the latest in everything NISG elections.

PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Katie and Renae win!

After what seemed like a never ending election season, Election Commissioner and Chief Justice Nathan Davis released the results of the Presidential race this evening in the Union. 1306 total votes were cast.

With 699 total votes, constituting 53.5% of the vote, Katie and Renae have won the Presidency!

Jared and Tanner received  608 (46.5%) votes.


In an unexpected runoff, Katie and Renae  has outlasted the other ticket, increasing their vote total from last week by 106 votes, while Jared and Tanner were able to get a consistent showing from last week it wasn't enough to win the race.

Soon, this will all be over.

Thanks for checking in with the blog ! As the conclusion of election season draws near, I'd like to share some of the voter turnout numbers that Commish Davis has shared with me. Much to my delight, it appears that polling is as strong as it was last week! Considering the razor-thin margin, the candidates and their teams have been spotted all over campus and the halls of social media.

Now that polls have closed, Nathan Davis tells me that 1306 students have voted in the runoff. Considering 1239 students voted last week, that means everybody who voted last week plus 67 more students got involved in this year's election. Given the historical trend of lower voter turnout during the runoff, this is exciting news!

So when will we have the final results? Commissioner Davis has publicized that tonight's results will be announced in Maucker Union after Senate. Considering Senate starts at 8pm and they'll be hosting several members of the Cedar Falls City Council (hm, wonder why?) in addition to business they couldn't get to last week due to weather, we are looking at an announcement somewhere between 9:30pm, 10pm, or even later.

The Northern Iowan has a reporter at every Senate meeting and tweets proceedings and happenings at @NIonNISG. To follow along with tonight's meeting, and to forecast it's conclusion, keep up to date by following on Twitter.  I'll also be tweeting from that account, not to be confused with #tweetgate2015 perpetrator of false information @NISG. As always. stay tuned!

UPDATE (9:32PM): The City has finished their presentation, and Senate business is now ongoing.

Bias

I'll take a brief second to make a clarification that may be muddy. I am a writer for the Northern Iowan. The NI is an independent, student-run newspaper that has it's own governance wholly separate from NISG. I, Corey Cooling, am a student at UNI with no position in Kevin's NISG administration, and I am employed by the NI to write this blog. Everything in it is 100% my work and opinion, and the blog is not in any way supported by or sanctioned by NISG. If it was, I would refuse to do this. I'm upset at the notion that I somehow represent bias for/against NISG  or either of the tickets and that I have an agenda. 

I've heard the rumors that JT's supporters think I'm biased against them. That's fine. What they might not realize is that I don't matter. I could have endorsed either candidate last week or this, but I decided not to. Why? Because I don't matter. I got involved, poured my heart and soul into student orgs and NISG for a few years, but I'm done now. I know things about the Student Services Fee (SFC) because I got on the committee while I was running, thinking I'd be the chair someday as NISG President.  Now, all I've got left is this blog and a few committee meetings before I get replaced, and then I graduate in May. Pretty soon, one of the two tickets will be feeling the same way. 

With this blog, I've been hired to give my two cents and offer context from the experiences I've had doing this. I've also been paid to be honest about what I see, and I'm proud of what I've done so far. Some may say my coverage has been harder on JT than KR, and to a certain extent, I think that's true. I also think it's necessary to explain what I see, in the hope that JT and/or KR benefit from my analysis. I've been harder on JT because I want to make sure they've done the homework and understand what they're getting into. Anyone who wants to be the leaders of an organization they've never been a part of has to be able to explain why despite a lack in involvement, they don't have a lack of understanding. 

I also refuse to engage in a phenomena we see everywhere in modern journalism known as the "false balance." In an effort to avoid bias, coverage of both "sides" of an issue are brought up with equal representation, even if that's not the case in reality. Think of how climate change deniers get airtime on TV. In the same sense, I'm not going to play towards a false middle in evaluating the two Presidential tickets. If my coverage of JT has been harsher than KR, that's because I feel there is more JT needs to improve upon than KR. This season has been harsh, but it has been fair. I'm glad that neither ticket has resorted to mud-slinging, and I'd like to believe the analysis in this blog was impartial and as factual as possible. 

That being said, it's hard to compare the two tickets when they are speaking different languages. It's easier to critique JT on the stuff NISG has been trying to do for years to no avail. I'm not sure if their ICC idea is viable or even possible, but it's an idea. It shows they know involvement is an issue and a priority, a good thing. On the other hand, Katie, currently having a seat on the SFC, is able to speak at length about what she would do with that committee. She's earned this by being involved and volunteering her time and effort in order to learn all of this for several years now. How do I, as one blogger, compare and contrast these issues? It's hard, and even with an extra week of campaigning we don't really have much time to dive deep into issues, let alone get the tickets arguing on the same level.  

Going into the polls tomorrow morning through Wednesday night, I'm not sure what to think. It would be really sad if the voter turnout was lower, so please tell your friends to vote (again). At this point, I'm convinced that either ticket is capable for the office and putting together an excellent Cabinet. As current President Kevin will tell you, much of what you learn is on the job. I already know for a fact that they'll have an awesome Senate, who is already working on an agenda of their own.

Dear readers, I urge you to do nothing except read, think, and vote. No matter who wins, they will be the President/VP of the entire student body, and it's our duty as students to help and support them as best we can. I think it's a problem that NISG is too intimidating to the "average student", and that people may feel like NISG-ers are elitist, but when you actually get involved your perspective shifts dramatically. In reality, year after year NISG struggles to find students that actually care. Judging by last week's results, this race is about as tight as it can get and we're guaranteed some fireworks come Wednesday night. Please be one of the students that cares. Vote, stay informed, stay involved, and keep checking NISGElections.com for the latest in the last hours of campaigning. 

Tweetgate 2015?

In the chaos that was the election results last week, there was some incorrect information posted on the @NISG twitter account. For those of you who aren't one of @NISG's 1145 twitter followers, I'll recap what was posted from the account, which was deleted.

" @NISG

Pres/VP Runoff Vote. 606 votes, Katie and Renae 543 votes. 40 Votes for Write In candidates. There will be a runoff next Tuesday/Wednesday"

Now, it's clear that aside from mysterious capitalization choices, that the "Tweeter in Question" obviously forgot to put Jared and Tanner next to their 606 votes, and missed the "9" for the "4" in KR's vote total. This tweet was posted at 9PM Wednesday, and the tweets that followed stated that correct information would be up soon. 

Fast-forward to this morning, and the Northern Iowan's Letters to the Editor had Matt Doore, RA in Rider and known Jared and Tanner supporter, write a letter accusing NISG of bias. The letter is somewhat confusing, as neither Jared or Tanner are mentioned directly, but it's clear that he's upset about what he coined #tweetgate2015. Now when I search on twitter for that hastag, I don't find much about NISG. In fact, I find seven total tweets ever with that hashtag. 

The letter by Mr. Doore is frustrating, because I was expecting an endorsement of  Jared and Tanner, but instead we have six paragraphs on why that particular tweet was bad, that NISG is somehow bias, apparently against JT. He calls for a "reevaluation of the election committee", which I assume he actually means to be the Election Commission. 

Now if you go to the new-and-improved uni.edu/NISG , you'll find lots of information on the Judicial branch of NISG, which is the committee that oversees the election. Calling for a recount, or challenging the results of the last election is a serious motion, and if Matt Doore really feels this way, he should have notified Nathan Davis right away rather than publishing it in the NI.  More to the point, who tweeted this anyway?

As it turns out, the normal person who runs the account, Director of Public Relations Beth Sullivan, was at the basketball game that night that as captain of the dance team. In her absence, Eric Boisen was at the election results and was responsible for the tweet. He outed himself today and apologized from the NISG page:

"I know this is late to the punch, but I would like to apologize for NISG’s abhorrently bad tweeting of the NISG election results on Wednesday night. The Director of Public Relations, who normally mans the NISG Twitter was gone, so I said I could take over the Twitter for the election results. During the stating of the results, in the confusion and quick talking of the Election Commission, I forgot to mention Jared and Tanner in the election results as well as put in the wrong vote total for Katie and Renae.

That tweet was not sent in anger or malice, but was an honest mistake. In the confusion, I also stated that Dave Coltrain was elected as a Senator for the Graduate College even though he did not receive enough votes. I should have proofread those tweets before sending them out, as well as deleted them sooner when they were shown to be inaccurate. I apologize to Jared & Tanner for UNI, Katie and Renae for UNI, and Dave Coltrain. I will not be posting the results for the runoff election. I will leave that to Beth Sullivan who is an amazing Director of Public Relations.

I apologize again,

Eric"

Okay, so we all make mistakes. The tweet has since been deleted, and everyone who wants to know knows why and when the runoff is happening. Personally, I'm a bit annoyed at the level of attention that this required. Griping about a tweet, about how something came out wrong is just a day in the life of running student government. To blame the entirety of NISG as if it is some mysterious agency with it's own agenda is ridiculous.  Whoever wins the race this week will have to deal with students complaining about things that NISG has no control over, and often. 

Considering the level of negativity I've contributed to this election season, I was really expecting both tickets, especially Jared and Tanner, to hit hard on the positive aspects of their campaign. We'll never know if JT sanctioned this letter, but really this space complaining about a typo on Twitter could have been used better to talk up why Jared and Tanner are the better ticket. Sorry Matt, but I think you goof'ed. 

Now on to the other letter to the editor in today's issue of the Northern Iowan (I'll link them when they're up online). This one was written by Linh Ta, a former executive editor of the NI and my former boss. This letter has more of the pieces I'd expect from an endorsement: hitting campaign points on their experience, examples of what they'd like to do, and how Linh knows them. Lastly, it ends with a clear endorsement, and urges people to vote. It's almost as if Linh has extensive writing experience! 

From my perspective, Katie and Renae simply look better in this edition of the NI. Holding the two letter up next to each other, as they are in the paper, Doore looks like he's still mad that JT didn't win last week and directing it at one tweet, while KR got somebody who's been involved on campus to write a strong endorsement letter. Being an effective student leader is responding well to adversity, and getting worked up about a tweet misspelling shows a confusion of priorities. 

I'll take a brief second to make a clarification that may be muddy. I am a writer for the Northern Iowan. The NI is an independent, student-run newspaper that has it's own governance wholly separate from NISG. I, Corey Cooling, am a student at UNI with no position in Kevin's NISG administration, and I am employed by the NI to write this blog. Everything in it is 100% my work and opinion, and the blog is not in any way supported by or sanctioned by NISG. If it was, I would refuse to do this. I'm upset at the notion that I somehow represent bias for/against NISG and that I have an agenda. I'll be reflecting on this and posting about it later. 

So, what happened?

I'm still reeling from the flurry of events that transpired Wednesday night in the chaos of the election announcements. Due to a perfect storm of events the unthinkable has happened: a runoff election between the two tickets on the ballot for President and Vice President. How could this have happened?


As it turns out, what delayed the Election Commission for so long on Wednesday night is that there was an unusually high number of write-in votes, both for Senate races and the Presidential race. I was able to get a copy of the raw data for write-ins, and there were 55 total write-in votes. Some of the write-ins were "None" or "Lamp" and couple of past candidates, including Jordan & Kaleigh and Corey and Eric, and also a single vote for our very own Seth Tuttle and Matt Bohannon of the basketball team, who combined average 21.2 points per game.

However, there were two groups in particular who snagged a hefty majority of the write-ins. Austin Hansen and Jeff Hinton, along with Alex Stepanek and Joe Farrell  each received a hefty percentage of the write-ins. Alex is the President of the SigEp fraternity on campus and Joe, who's also a SigEp, received 15 votes  presumably from their brothers and friends. Austin and Jeff received 18 votes, probably stemming from the various postings around Campbell hall with #HansenHinton2015 on them. It's not clear in this case if the students above even knew this was happening.

All in all, the Commission decided to exclude write-in votes cast for people not eligible for the Presidency, namely enrolled students at UNI. As such, the total number of "other" votes was reduced from 55 to 40. With Jared and Tanner getting 606, 13 more votes than Katie and Renae's 593, these write-ins totaled 3.2% of the votes, barring Jared and Tanner from winning outright with only 48.9%.

It cannot be understated how much this impacts the current election. Campaigns are exhausting, and I can't imagine how the candidates felt about hearing that there would be another week of campaigning. Voting will open again 7am Tuesday and run through 7pm Wednesday, and this time somebody has to win. With a margin of only 13, the two teams can't afford to lose momentum with voters between now and the next round of polling. Last time there was a runoff it was decided by 14 votes, when Tom and Blake increased their vote total from the first round by almost 150 votes.

If I'm Katie and Renae, I wouldn't be able to thank Austin, Jeff, Alex and Joe enough. This basically gives them another shot at winning, having 'lost' the first round. On the other hand, I bet Jared and Tanner are furious, and for good reason. Having put their all into the last two weeks and getting more votes than their opponent, they still have to go through another round. Thanks to 40 students, the Presidential tickets will be tested on their endurance.

Looking at the margins, it's clear that this race has been much closer than I anticipated or suspected. I'll admit that I underestimated Jared and Tanner as NISG "outsiders" and their ability to get students to vote. It is clear that the traditional voting centers, the residence halls, have showed up to vote for their RHA leaders. It's also clear that nearly just as many people supported Katie and Renae. I literally have no idea what to expect next week.

In the meantime, the focus on the tickets and what they do with these last days will be more intense than ever. Tickets will have time to visit student orgs they couldn't fit on their schedule, and ramp up the intensity on their "get-out-the-vote" efforts. There's also the possibility that the ballots can be challenged. If they want, Jared and Tanner could ask the Commission to review the write-ins to eliminate more of the ballots. If the number of write-ins was reduced from 55 to 28, Jared and Tanner would have a majority of votes.

Let's see how each campaign reacted to the news:

From the Jared and Tanner Facebook page:

"The student body made a statement last night and they said they want‪#‎JaredandTanner2015‬ as their next Student Body President and Vice President! We were only a few votes shy of the victory, so we're going to need your help one more time next week during the runoff election on March 3rd and 4th to ensure the students get what they voted for!‪#‎OneMoreTime‬ ‪#‎NISGrunoff‬"

They also came out with a sweet graphic explaining the numbers regarding write-ins, which shows they have some good graphic designers in house - a good skill for an administration.

Kate and Renae's Page:

"Hey everyone, seeing as neither ticket got 50% of the vote last night, we have a run-off election! Voting will be next week, the 3rd and 4th of March. It's time to "take the next step," and we are grateful for your continued support!"

They also came out with a newer version of their campaign profile photo, urging voters to vote "Again!" on March 3rd and 4th.

In addition, this gives the tickets time to secure endorsements for their campaign. Typically, the Northern Iowan receives a few letters to the editor urging students to vote. In the past, people from the sitting NISG President to different student org leaders have published their support of a campaign. With another issue of the NI coming out Monday, tickets have more time to get endorsements in print, something neither ticket did last week.

Honestly, I hadn't thought that it was possible, or even likely, that we would see the election forced into a runoff this year. It just goes to show that especially in student government, every vote matters. I hope that we'll see an even higher voter turnout this round, rather than the historical results which sees less votes overall. By all means, tell your friends to get informed, apply for open Senate seats, and vote next week. Until then, keep your eyes and ears open for the next few days, and we'll see which team takes the most advantage of the extra time to campaign. Have a good weekend, and Go Panthers!

RESULTS CALL FOR RUNOFF

After much anticipation and worry, we finally saw the Election Commission emerge from Maucker Union offices with Lisa Kratz. I'm going to record the announcement and publish it here soon, but until then I'll type as fast as I can.

Resolutions!

The bills updating and closing loopholes in the Constitution thankfully passed. How hilarious would it be if NISG was prevented from updating their laws due to trolls?

The resolution regarding the funding of newspapers in the Union also passed, thankfully, so the death of print news media was slowed by at least one more day.

Now onto election results!!

Senate Candidates!

CBA
Maddy O.
Weston Hinton
Danielle Massey
Cavin Finn

CSBS
Gabby R!
Parker Bennet
Heather Applegate

CHAS
Katie Upah
Aaron Friel
Abbie Shew
Rachel Larsen
Natalie K.

COE
Rachel Johnson
Anna Kron
Chris Miranda
Wiley James

Graduate
Sharrah Steer

Undecided
Sarah Hofmeyer

Presidential Candidates THERE WILL BE A RUNOFF
(I will be confirming these numbers later)

Kate and Renae
593 votes

Jared and Tanner
 606 votes

 40 other votes!!!!!
There will be a runoff next week!

Still waiting on RESULTS

So I've been waiting anxiously in the Union for several minutes now. I'm joined by several members of the current administration (before they go to the basketball game tonight), NI executive editor Amber Rouse, as well as my running mate from last year Eric Boisen. The Union is almost totally empty save for two clumps of students grouped around the two Presidential teams.

Considering it really shouldn't take that long to count votes, the mood is tense here as we eagerly await the results. Polls closed over an hour and a half ago, so the Commission should have had ample time to count ballots.
Rumors have been shared with me about a large number of write-in candidates, which would delay vote counting a bit. Now, write-in candidates for Senate seats is a good thing due to the large number of uncontested seats. However, a large number of write-ins for President/VP might mean a dramatic finish.

If enough students vote in write-ins, be them silly or serious, that could potentially prevent either ticket from grabbing the "50% +1" margin needed to win the Presidency. This would mean that the top two teams would advance to one more week of campaigning, with voting again next week!


(Update 8:50 PM)
We're still waiting. This is getting intense.


STAY TUNED.

Soon, we will have election results.

So, the polls have just closed, so sorry if you didn't get a chance to vote. Considering the blizzard today, pretty much everyone who wanted to should have had a chance to vote. I've already heard from Commish Davis that he'll be making an announcement tonight in the Union at about 8:30 PM. Thankfully, I'm within walking distance of campus so I'll be braving the elements to give you all the very latest once the results are announced for the Senate, and Presidential races.

In the meantime I thought I should share some numbers that update my previous post, as well as some voter turnout numbers Commish Davis has shared with me. Voter turnout appears to be higher than last year, which is a really good sign. First, the Facebook numbers:

(Parenthesis numbers indicates change from yesterday afternoon)

Jared and Tanner
Event invites: 605 (+47)
Event "attending": 90 (+32)

Kate and Renae
Event invites: 929 (+54)
Event "attending": 116  (+26)


The numbers since yesterday have seen Jared and Tanner cut Katie and Renae's solid lead, but not by much. The numbers also don't mean much, because more than 206 have voted. I was able to check in with Commish Davis as votes were rolling in. Let's get to these numbers:

         Time | Total Votes
 3pm Tues     610
 7pm Tues     808
10am Wed     975
 3pm Wed     1112

So we've already surpassed last year's vote total this afternoon, and given the blizzard hopefully that will have given people time to get their vote in. If you can make it to the Union safely (seriously, don't drive) I'll see you there, but if not stay glued to @NIonNISG and this blog for the results in less than an hour! 

Election Day!

No doubt if you've looked at your email, social media, or picked up the Northern Iowan recently you've heard by now that the polls are open! For the love of TC, please go vote. The polls stay open for 36 continuous hours, and are hosted online via MyUNIverse because college students are busy, lazy, and always on the internet. All in all, you have until 6:59 PM Wednesday to cast your vote for your college's Senators, President/VP, and Yes/No on the three ballot issues detailed in Eric Boisen's column here.


I timed myself for how long it took for vote, from logging into MyUNIverse through the finish. I clocked in at just over 3 minutes, probably because I read through everything. So what now?

Well, between now and Wednesday night all we can really do is speculate about which ticket is going to come out on top. Expect the candidates to go all as we get close to the deadline, both tickets were tabling in the Union Monday, the last day they could. Last year, I remember standing out in the bitter cold handing out buttons and packs of ramen with stickers on them about how to vote.

The first question to consider is how many people are going to vote? Considering not very many students participated in the real-life November elections , and that even less typically vote in student government, we don't have much in the way of numbers to work with. About 1400 students voted in elections two years ago, and about 1100 last year, so you vote matters now from than ever.

To get a rough handle on numbers, I put my Stalker hat back on and tried to see what numbers I could get.

(as of 2:49pm Tuesday)

Kate and Renae

Campaign Page "likes" : 374
Facebook event invites: 875
Facebook event "attending": 90

Twitter Page Followers:127
Twitter Following :576
Total Tweets : 33

Katie
Facebook friends: 1684 (+39 since 2/6)

Renae
Facebook friends:533 (+43 since 2/6)



Jared and Tanner

Campaign Page "likes" :327
Facebook event invites: 558
Facebook event "attending": 58

Twitter Page Followers: 125
Twitter Following :503
Total Tweets : 51

Jared
Facebook friends: 455 (+48 since 2/6)

Tanner
Facebook friends: 861 (+38 since 2/6)



Let it be known that Facebook definitely isn't real, and that it's just one way to do social media. For example, I'm not super familiar with Twitter so I don't have any context regarding those numbers. I do see it heating up today though, as I keep writing I have to continuously update these numbers. While Katie and Renae have the current numbers advantage, I think we say that it is way too close to call for now, with over 24 hours left with the polls open. What matters much, much more is how far and wide the tickets have managed to get their message out, and hoping that students will show up in the polling numbers.

I'll be in close contact with Commissioner Nathan Davis to see if anything fun or dramatic happens, and you'll be among the first to know the results once they are announced!

Aaron Friel's For Real Senate

The video of the NISG Debate will be up on Youtube, but not yet! In the meantime, I thought I'd dive into what I think is the most interesting development, the rise of For Real Senate.

After the Senate portion of the debate on Tuesday, NI executive editor Amber Rouse was able to sit down briefly with Aaron Friel, the Senator from CHAS who is making waves with his Senate platform and the For Real Senate coalition. During the debate several Senate candidates mentioned their support of his platform and how they want to get behind his ideas. 

Honestly, I think this is one of the more interesting developments this election season. It's awesome that we're getting to the point where aren't so many uncontested seats, and that the Senate is getting tough on the issues. 

 Friel is a personal friend of mine, and helped manage my Presidential run last year. He was the guy who sent that email to the entire body asking to "blow up his phone" before he went before the City Council to protest the rental ordinance. There's no question that Friel is dedicated to serving the interests of students, and he's articulate, smart, and savvy to boot. Rumor has it that he might be nominated for Speaker of the Senate, and I think he'd be a legendary one. 

Below is video of the interview between Aaron and Amber, shot during the intermission part of the debate. With the audio, it is hard to hear what he's saying, so I've tried to summarize some of the bits related directly to his platform. 

0:18 Freedom: Maucker Union Policies. Friel has worked in the past to ensure that student political activity on either side of the aisle be treated the same. Maucker Union has since updated policies that make sure when student groups invite political candidates to speak, they are still treated like student organizations and not charged for use of the Union. 

0:55 Fairness: Sexual Assault Panel. Friel talks about the issue with the Sexual Assault Panel. Recently, a policy has changed on campus regarding how UNI deals with sexual assault issues. Previously, there was a panel that included students that would hear cases, and the new policy would remove that panel and replace it with a single staff person. Recent NI article covering the details here. Several members of the Faculty Senate have also expressed concern about the policy change. 

2:45- Food. Friel talks about policies related to student organizations bringing food on campus. Also speaking from my experience planning Progressive Picnic this August, it is true that Catering , under the guise of reducing liability, has effectively created a monopoly for itself on campus. As such, I think Friel is going after this the right way in asking for more transparency and more competition. It's hard enough running a student org and planning events without trying to jump through all these hoops erected by these policies.  

4:35 -Policy suggestions (hard to hear).  He wants the DOR to provide a specific list of charges rather than goes into everything and be transparent with what their profit margins are. 

In talking to Friel a little more about what he envisions about For Real Senate, he stressed that the coalition is not about his specific policy issues. Rather, For Real Senators simply want to have competitive Senate elections by getting more students to run, and "don't have any overarching goal except getting things done, and the more specific and actionable, the better." Friel went on to say that prospective For Real Senators are asked to identify at least one thing that want to address next year, and that it's also open to write-in candidates.  

So far, these Senate candidates have declared their For Real Senate affiliation: 

CBA:
Weston Hinton

Danielle Massey

CSBS:

Heather Applegate
Gabriella Ruggiero

CHAS:
Aaron Friel
Abbie Shew
Neill Goltz (write-in)
Natalie Kaufman (write-in)

Personally, I'm really excited about this. It takes momentum to get students involved and to push for change, and I'm impressed by the focus on addressing real issues that affect students right now. If you're in the running for a write-in campaign, this is the type of thing you should pay attention to. I'm curious if more Senators decide to join before the election. It's only five days away! 

Guest Post: What else is on the ballot this year?

Below is important information regarding initiatives students will vote on next week, namely related to Constitutional changes, how empty senate seats are filled, and the funding of newspapers in the Union. Enjoy.


Hello Panthers! My name is Eric Boisen and I am the current speaker of the senate for NISG. We are in the midst of the NISG elections right now, so I thought this would be a good time to tell you about all the other items that will be on the ballot when you vote.

Besides the president and vice president, you will also be voting for the senators for your college. Each college has a certain number of senators depending on how many students are in your college. Example: for the College of Business, there are 3 senators, but for the College of Humanities Arts and Sciences there are six. Corey Cooling put up a list of who will be on the ballot. There are many uncontested seats, so I would urge you to write in someone you think would be a good candidate!

Besides the people you will be voting on, you will be voting on three ballot initiatives. One ballot initiative is for “SSB 2014-76.” This updates the NISG constitution. In 2011, the makeup of the NISG senate changed, but the constitution was not updated to match those changes. This would finally update the constitution after four years. You can read the changes in its entirety, here: bit.ly/SSB201476 (all changes are highlighted in yellow or crossed out). For the most part, these are basic changes that will not change anything substantial within NISG.

The second ballot initiative is for “SSB 2014-77.” This changes the NISG constitution to allow for at-large senate seats within the senate. To give some background, NISG has always had a problem with filing empty senate seats. As speaker, I have had the first full senate in over five years but that only lasted less than two months. This change will allow for one senate seat per college, that has been unfilled for over six continuous weeks, to become an “at-large seat.” This means anyone call fill that position regardless of college.

This change is not permanent, at the end of each term, the at-large seats will turn back into seats for a specific college. Students will not be able to run as an at-large senator, and the speaker will still try to make an honest effort to fill empty seats before they turn into at-large seats. This will hopefully solve the problem of having too many empty seats each year. You can read the entire proposal here: bit.ly/SSB201477

The last item that will be on the ballot will deal with the College Readership Program. The CRP is the program that puts the New York Times, USA Today, and Des Moines Register in the Union for students to take and read. The cost of the CRP is roughly $1 per student each year. NISG currently has that cost in its yearly budget and that takes a fair chunk of our budget.

The proposal on the ballot will be asking if students would like $1 of their yearly fees to go towards the CRP. If students vote for this, then an extra dollar will be put in the student services fee to pay for the CRP. If students reject this, chances are the CRP will not exist into next year.

There are two reasons for this. 1) The CRP costs a fair amount, and NISG is paying that, making our funds unavailable for many other projects that we would like to put on, or for student organizations to put on events. We have tried to get other departments at UNI to help fund the program, but to no avail. 2) Many professors, not students, are taking these papers. This is taking money from the CRP (that is paid for by students) and leaving less papers for students to use. Because of this, the CRP may not be around next year if students don’t vote for this ballot initiative. That does not mean I am arguing for you to vote for the CRP, that is up for you to decide.

With everything on the ballot this election, brush up on what you will be voting on, it will take just a few minutes of your time. If you have any questions, please email me at boisen@uni.edu.

Go Panthers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Personally, I'm for updating the Constitution, a no-brainier. I hope students realize the value of the CRP. I accept that I may be old fashioned, but I really enjoy being able to pick up the New York Times or the Des Moines Register whenever I have a spare moment in the Union. In this, I urge you to vote in favor of the CRP initiative. I won't be here to read the papers anymore next year, but if that's something you value, please make an effort to tell your friends to vote in favor of funding the CRP.

*Live Blogging* THE DEBATE

8:07-Closing Statements (2 minutes)

Both candidates thanked their running mates and the audience for submitting questions, and urged you to vote in the elections on MyUNIverse a week from today, February 24th.

I've had enough of this so far today, stay tuned tomorrow for my reflections on the debate and a feature from CHAS Senator running for reelection, Aaron Friel. Good night and Happy Mardi Gras!!



Audience Q Part 2

Q: If you don't win, is this "all-or-nothing?" If you lose, will you still be involved in NISG?

KR- Katie plans on applying for the Director of Governmental Relations if not elected, has always been passionate about local and state politics. Renae notes that there are open Graduate senate seats, and would seek one of those.

JT- Tanner plans on staying involved in various student organizations. Jared has a passion for student government, will apply for positions in executive branch.

Q: JT, having worked in the past with large established organizations, how will you get new organizations off the ground?

JT- Tanner-It's important for large orgs to still have a small organization feel, want them to feel involved.

Q: From External Relations Chair Connor Brakeville: Ordinance on renting was passed last night limiting the persons occupying rental properties. How will you work with the City Council?

KR- We have a director of local government outreach. We've had a student at every City Council meeting and its important to continue to do that. We were at the CC meeting last night and spoke, as did several other students and they want the CC to recognize that students aren't going anywhere. We want to work with the director to address other issues, such as the revamp of University Ave.

JT- Being present at CC meetings is critical. Furthermore, something we need to emphasize more is volunteering in the community.  

Last Q: Student organizations get 6% of Student Fee money, Athletics get over 50% of SSFC money. If elected, how would you address the disparity in line items?
JT, Chief of Staff was eliminated in a deal with Pam Creger, how would you fund that position?
KR, Women's Center, how do you plan to get the resources to run the Center?

JT- We want a Modified Chief of Staff position. Not interested in paying anyone to do this, want to get a passionate student leader who will volunteer to do this, and we're confident we'll be able to do this.

KR- We do hear often, "Why a Women's Center? our position is "Why Not? We're primarily focusing on women, but want this center to work with existing centers such as the LGBT center. We've met with several different entities to figure out a good place for the center and a way to offer an assistantship through the Women's and Gender Studies Dept. The center wouldn't be super expensive because it would serve as a hub for many services that already exist on campus.

Audience Questions

JT- ICC sounds great, how will we get students to actually show up? Progressive Coalition has struggled with attendance, how do you see ICC working?

JT- Start by talking to students when they register in the fall. We want a variety of student leaders to get involved. We understand this will not be easy. We're excited to begin the process. These meetings won't be lectures, but interactive instances to connect and colloborate.
We might not see tremendous buy-in at first, but think it's a good thing to start.

KR- Talk about Time Management Skills, especially as a Grad student? 

KR-(Renae)- Has been talking with advisors about her plan as a student, hopes that she could use this position to further her studies. (Katie), Renae's program is very flexible in terms of time commitments.

JT- If we're here a year from today and you're elected, what can we say we've done?

JT- Hope we've engaged on a meaningful level to collaborate. Meaningful level not simply attending, but contributing to organizations and being actually involved.

Q: From President Kevin: Reaching out to student orgs is hard, hard to get students to care. Confusion about what NISG stands for. How do you get students involved? (Both tickets)

KR- We're a good team in that, Katie as an insider can help with the details about what is currently happening in NISG. Meanwhile, Renae has a fresh perspective and can ask questions to students about what they know about NISG, if they've heard of it and can see the perspective from an outsider.

JT- We're passionate about engaging students. (Tanner spoke really fast and I couldn't catch much else). They mentioned efforts within RHA to get students involved.

Q: From Carl Reitz, Director of Finance: You will be, as President, chair of the Student Services Fee Committee, a budget of almost $3 million from students. President Ruud has expressed the desire to raise fees every year, where do you think fees should go?

JT- We want to see allocations going towards student organizations.

KR- Katie has been on this committee for the past year. Is familiar with the yearly increases and is currently working on it and they want to focus on using fee money going towards sustainability services. Every year every line item asks for more money and yes, student organizations are great, so the fee should go to NISG's allocation considering the contingency fund is almost out this year.

Q: Engaging Lower Cabinet Directors, how to hold them accountable, and how do you motivate them? (unpaid)

KR- NISG has a problem with accountability year to year. We want to meet with directors as much as possible, but they've talked to past directors and have heard that they lack direction. We want to provide more direction and tangible goals. Work with the Student Involvement Center staff to make use of resources.

JT- I haven't been paid as RHA President, so it's not about money it's about passion and students who care. What is critical is selecting good directors in the first place and meeting with them weekly to keep that relationship strong. We also want lower cabinet directors to work together and to hold meetings with the entire lower cabinet together.


7:30 Second Round Q&A
Q: How will you build upon the efforts of the current administration?

JT- Start by talking to Kevin and Paul, and really want to emphasize Panther Fridays.

KR- Transportation issues. We know what Kevin and Paul have been doing regarding Panther Shuttle, and want to expand the hours of operation despite how costly it is. Currently looking at other options to fund this program. They also want to expand the bike-share program that is just now getting off the ground by Kevin and Paul.


7:25 First Round Questions

This round had two questions: What will be your hardest plank to accomplish and what campaign goals are you most passionate about?

Hardest Plank

JT- Hardest will be engaging students, we think ICC is ideal to help mitigate this problem. Orgs are what make UNI home, so that is our foucs.

KR- Updating MyUNIverse. It has so many different players involved that it will take close collaborate with several university departments.

Passion

KR- Our first year council, embracing all kinds of first-year students: international, transfer, and non-traditional. We want to utilize the experience already on campus to have a comprehensive orientation for students.

JT- Engaging our students through establishing the ICC. We also want to have a video series that will update the student body and better publicize what we do.



7:17 Opening Statements

The opening statements mostly consisted of the candidates introducing themselves, the vice presidential speeches weren't too crazy.

The presidential speeches had more substance. Katie went first, and talked about her various experiences with different groups on campus and how visiting other campuses for conferences and competitions has helped her see how innovative other schools can be. Jared went right to his platform planks, talking about his inter-club council, continuing Panther Fridays, and how his experience in RHA will make him an effective leader.



7:02 

We're going to begin the presidential section with opening statements, from the vice presidential candidates first and then the presidential candidates. Each vice president will have three minutes and the presidential candidates will have five minutes. After that, we'll go into questions.

They're flipping a coin to see who goes first... Kate and Renae won! Renae will go first.


INTERMISSION

That's all for the Senate Candidates. While we have some down time, I've snagged Aaron Friel for a quick interview on his platform. Amber Rouse, executive editor of the Northern Iowan, is speaking with him now and I'll get the video up ASAP!

Until then, start thinking of questions for the Presidential Candidates! Tweet them to @NIonNISG or shoot me an email at coolingc@uni.edu !


6:47 CHAS

Just in time to answer a question, Sen. Abbie Shew seeking re-election made it up to the debate table. She mentioned bills she's worked on with other senators on a number of issues, including the Yik Yak posts, and hopes to work with Friel in For Real Senate in the future. She likes representing a diverse college like CHAS because she's a double major in a hard science and humanities, biology and philosophy.

Sen. Friel, head of the For Real Senate coalition, began by speaking about how he first got into NISG, through working in student organizations trying to get funding to hold events. He has a platform of "Freedom, Fairness and Food." He has been concerned by recent changes to UNI's sexual assault policy, from a panel approach to a single staff member, and hopes NISG can help change this policy next year.
Friel recently sent an email to the entire student body asking them to "blow up his phone" with messages to urge the City Council to not move forward with the rental law changes. His phone is still blowing up and he hopes to work with the city over the year to mitigate the changes and help students.

Sen. Upah, on the Campus Relations committee, hopes to work with For Real Senate over the year and was really happy to have a full Senate this year. She's hoping to get freshman involved in open seats and will be excited to have new students and their perspective.






6: 31 CBA

Maddie isn't here, so Nathan is reading her essay. I've compiled all the essays for the candidates, and have them linked by major in the top right part of the blog -> over there!

Candidate Massey wants to work with the college to assign advisors to every student and is looking forward to mentoring her other Senators should she be re-elected. She currently serves on the external relations committee. She mentioned her passion and involvement with United Nations on campus, and how she's actually going on a trip to a conference tomorrow for it.

Candidate Hinton introduced himself and expressed his desire to get involved in senate. He mentioned the platform by Aaron Friel addressing catering policies on campus and hopes to work with Friel to make it a reality (did he just endorse For Real Senate?). As he's learned about the current system with catering, he was disappointed by what the policies actually were. A Pi Sigma Epsilon, he's been exposed to lots of other things on campus, and hope groups keep collaborating in the future.

6:21 CSBS 

Here we have Candidate Parker starting off, answering a question by expressing his desire to get more out of the office hours Senators get. He's been disappointed in how he has yet to see a student come to him to talk about issues during those hours, and he wants to work to make those hours more useful.

Candidate Applegate talked about how at her previous university, women weren't as well represented, so she's happy to have this opportunity and to see lots of other women running.

Gabriella spoke about her path to studying political science and how now that she's been at the university for a few years that she's well-equipped to serve students at this point.

The loud machine at Chats keeps making people milkshakes and periodically it interrupts the debate. How lovely. Rumor is that the Union will relocate this into the Essentials part of the building in the future.


6:15 COE Candidates

Nathan has introduced the moderator and we all suffered some loud feedback but eventually the mic was fixed.

There's a scattering of students here in groups, it appears that we have also been graced with the presence of Lisa Kratz! Hi Lisa!

For the candidates that can't be here, Nathan is reading the Intent to Run essays. So far, that's Deciding Candidate Sarah Hofmeyer, as well as COE candidate Anna Kron.

It's kind of hilarious and awkward but for now the other COE candidate, Rachael Johnson, is fielding questions up on the stage alone with the moderator. She's handling it like a champ and things are beginning to run smoothly.



6:00 PM

Hey everyone! I'm going to try to live blog the debate as much as possible.

There is going to be a recording, set up by Commish Davis, to have the entirety of the debate up on YouTube shortly after the event so if you can't be here in person you can tune in on your own time.

As for questions, the moderators have prepared a few to get things started, but they're hoping to have questions submitted by voters like you! To submit a question to either senate or presidential candidates, be sure to tweet your question to @NIonNISG or send me an email at coolingc@uni.edu

The Union is starting to fill up and I think we're about to get started! Our moderator for tonight is Jordan Adam, a senior Communication major and RA. He'll be posing the questions and act as our master of ceremonies. Here we go!

Meet the Senators: CSBS

Your candidates from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 seats): Parker Bennett, Heather Applegate, and Gabriella Ruggiero.

Parker Bennett

Class: Junior
Majors: Political Science

After having nearly a year in office as a College of Social and Behavioral Science senator, I am running for a second term with hopes to continue my service to the student body. A lothas happened in the past year here at UNI, and as a result my fellow senators and I have had numerous opportunities to respond in a way that best benefits students. Some of my top priorities for the next year include:

• Continuing to push for Performance Based Funding, which I believe is a strong model
  that will help adequately fund the university and thus allow for continued growth in
  areas such as nontraditional academic programming, diverse transportation options,
  much-needed renovations, and increased sustainability measures (to name just a few).
• Work with fellow senators to push against restrictive/unfair policies set forth by the university (such as handling of sexual crimes on campus and the penalization of student organizations through UNI catering). Students need to be aware of such policy changes, form an opinion on them, and voice their opinions knowing that they will be heard and acted upon.
• I personally intend to make my availability as a senator more public, and hope to advertise my personal office hours more effectively in hopes that students will feel comfortable coming to share their concerns with their representatives. 

My time as a senator has been filled with opportunities to further develop myself as a
student leader, and as a result I have been able to get increasingly involved on campus in a way that makes a difference. Having served on the External Relations committee, I have learned a great deal about the connections UNI has with the local and state communities and have even made some connections of my own. Through my increased involvement on campus I have been able to serve as a resource for high school, prospective, and current students of UNI. The events I have helped put on through organizations like Honors student Advisory Board and Model United Nations have given me valuable organization and leadership skills that I am able to bring with me to NISG. My time with Student Admissions Ambassadors has also been a time of development. Through giving tours, working Up Close days, and volunteering I have been able to better communicate to prospective students all that UNI and its student body has to offer them.


Heather Applegate

Class: Sophomore
Majors: Sociology

I am running for NISG Senate on behalf of the College of Social and Behavioral
Sciences because I feel I will be able to represent my constituents well and be a voice
for those who do not feel empowered to speak. I have lived a fairly diverse past living in
both very rural areas and in the downtowns and urban neighborhoods of major cities,
which has contributed to my experiences with new and different cultures.  I am open-
minded and goal oriented: two things that a representative needs to be in order to
properly work on behalf of those who elected her. I plan to be a part of and associate
with more student organizations in order to hear and understand the perspectives,
needs, and wants of a wide variety of demographics. As a part of the senate, I want my
constituents to recognize that they have the ability to influence their world, including
their scope here on campus. Each and every student has the right to be heard, and I
want to ensure that what is said leads to the best of changes.

Gabriella Ruggiero

Class: Sophomore
Majors: Political Science and Global Studies

My name is Gabriella (Gabbie) Ruggiero, and I am a Political Science and Global Studies double major. I have been involved in Students against a Violent Environment (SAVE), UNIFI, and NISG this past year. As Recording Secretary for NISG I’ve become knowledgeable about issues that directly affect students. I know that by asking questions and gathering information from constituents, we can work together to prioritize issues and implement a plan to efficiently make a change. Below are some issues that I feel need to be addressed in the following year.

Creating a stronger link between the surrounding community and students.

In light of the Cedar Falls City Council’s discussion of a housing ordinance that directly impacts student living situations, it became clear that many residents of Cedar Falls feel distant from students. UNI’s presence should be felt across the community. This means promoting volunteer opportunities in coordination with the Student Leadership Council and contacting locations like Cedar Valley Friends of the Family and Hartman Reserve Nature Center, and finding more opportunities for job experience in the Cedar Valley, including small Main Street businesses.

 Investigating the effectiveness of student health services.

I find it unacceptable that pertinent resources like the Counseling Center are understaffed. Waiting weeks to be seen by a counselor can have serious consequences for a student. Although this issue will hopefully be alleviated by a fee increase, there should be some follow-up to see if scheduling problems are solved. I would work with the Health Center and Student Affairs to create a survey similar to those used by the Health Clinic earlier this year.
Meal plans.

Requiring freshman to get an unlimited meal plan and unnecessarily tacking on dining dollars to meal plans makes choosing a cost-effective plan difficult. Students should not feel pressured to pay for a plan they aren’t satisfied with. I would discuss new plan options with the Department of Residence and author legislation opposing restrictive plans. These are some issues that I have encountered—but I realize that there numerous others. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss my platform, please contact me at ruggierg@uni.edu.

Meet the Senators: CHAS

Your candidates for the college near and dear to my heart, the College of Humanities, Arts,and Sciences (6 seats): Aaron Friel, Abbie Shew, Rachel Larsen, and Katie Upah.

Potential write-ins, there are two seats uncontested!

Aaron Friel

Class: Senior
Majors: Mathematics and Computer Science

I'm running for NISG Senate, representing the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences. My campaign is about substance: obtaining reasonable, substantive change for UNI students to improve their lives and elevate student organizations. My platform is threefold: Fairness. Freedom. Food.

First, I will work to ensure new UNI administrative policies are drafted taking into account student needs, and push for policies to be changed where students are singled out in a way that harms. Second, in past year, I have already successfully changed existing policies are changed to protect political speech on campus, even when I disagreed with the student organization doing the speaking. Third, I will push back against the Department of Residence's desire to be a monopoly for student organizations on campus with specific reforms to ensure competition, by enabling Hy-Vee to more easily serve UNI students, and fair dealing, by requiring UNI Catering to provide a bill of materials whenever NISG-controlled funds are used to pay for food or catering items.

I am the right candidate for the job because I have a track record of successfully implementing changes on campus and ensuring UNI students' views are represented.


Abbie Shew

Class: Senior
Majors: Biology and Philosophy

My name is Abbie Shew and I am running for re-election as a Senator for the College
of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences for the 2015-2016 school year. I feel that I am a
good candidate for this position because not only do I have a year of experience as a
senator, I am truly passionate about the services that the Northern Iowa Student
Government can provide for all students at UNI.

This year, I have done a number of things as a senator. First, I have served as a
member of the Organization and Finance committee. Through this experience, I
have learned the inner workings of not only NISG, but the University as a whole. I
feel that because I have served on this committee, and thus as a liaison between
student organizations and NISG, I am equipped to help the student population
understand what NISG can do for them and their organization. As a senator, I have
also sponsored a number of bills in the senate, the most notable of which was a
response to the Yik Yak posts that happened earlier in the semester. I, along with
Senators Friel, Kaufman, and Taylor, drafted and revised a bill that resulted in NISG
making a public statement (in the form of both facebook posts and posters around
campus) about our efforts to be an inclusive community and Panther family.
I hope to continue these efforts to foster inclusivity and involvement for all students
in another term as a senator.



Rachel Larsen

Class: Sophomore
Major: Communication: Electronic Media Production/Performance

Change is something that we as humans go through every day, every week, and every year.
When I came to the University of Northern Iowa I knew I wanted to make a positive influence on
campus or in the Cedar Falls community, however I was unsure how to reach this goal. That is until I
recently heard about Northern Iowa Student Government.
I intend to run for a senator position for the College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, because I
believe in change. I believe in passion. I believe that I can help make UNI have a stronger sense of
community and family.

I believe I am a qualified candidate for a senator position because I was taught a strong sense of
honesty, responsibility, and leadership. My parents were a huge influence on me in my younger years, as most parents are. However, it was my older sisters who made sure I developed my own character. I always disliked being compared to them, and I knew that the activities I did in high school would have to be entirely my own. I may have been the youngest, but I wanted to leave a lasting impression. I was the first in my family to be in plays, musicals, speech, and cheerleading. I was also involved in choir and show choir. As I became older I received more and more responsibility and leadership roles.

Now that I am in college I am looking to gain those leadership roles once again. I am looking for
a way to be involved and make difference. Northern Iowa Student Government can help me reach these goals and once again leave a lasting impression.

Katie Upah

Class: Junior
Major: English

Throughout my time at UNI, I have been on the lookout for ways to get involved on
campus and make my four years here as meaningful as possible. I am blessed to attend this
educational institution, and I want to give back to my classmates, faculty and community
while I have the chance. This is precisely why I have decided to run for re-election in NISG
senate.

Currently, I serve as a senator for the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences.
Within NISG, I am on the Campus Relations committee, where I work with other students
and senators to solve problems as they arise on campus. In addition to NISG, I am involved
with many other student organizations including Student Admissions Ambassadors, the
Peer Mentor program, Honors Student Advisory Board, and Camp Adventure.

Through my involvement, I have gained several strengths to bring to NISG senate.
First of all, I am a hardworking, motivated student who will utilize my talents of
organization and time-management to enhance the senate. In addition, I am a highly
creative individual. I search for new ways to solve problems and analyze situations from
multiple points of view. Finally, I am not afraid to share my opinion on a topic. I will do my
best to keep the best interests of the university in mind throughout discussions and during
the decision-making process.

As a senator, I intend to make an impact on the university. I will devote my time and
energy into making our school a better place to learn, grow and have fun. I believe UNI is an
incredible place to be, but it has the potential to become even greater. As a senator, I am
confident I will help the university thrive, and I look forward to continue serving my
community as a senator of NISG. Thank you for your consideration.

Meet the Senators: COE

Your College of Education candidates (4 seats):Anna Kron and Rachael Johnson.

There are four seats for the COE, so there are at least two spots open for write-in candidates!

Anna Kron

Class: Junior
Major:Elementary Education

I am running for the position of College of Education Senator for Northern Iowa Student Government. I served as a senator last session and would love to continue in my position. I hope to positively represent the University of Northern Iowa community as a senator for NISG.

I believe that participating in student government is a unique experience and a great way to get involved on campus. As a senator, I have been able to connect with students and faculty that I otherwise may not have met. I have learned more about the many processes happening behind-the-scenes at UNI that make it such a wonderful place for our students, faculty, and staff. I have taken action to ensure that our experience at UNI is the best it could possibly be. I am running for this position because I would like to continue making an impact and having these fantastic experiences in student government.

I am the best candidate for this position because of my leadership skills. I am honest, responsible, and hard-working. I am extremely organized and have great time management skills. I always put my best effort into everything I undertake. I adore Anthony J. D’Angelo’s quote, “Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine,” because I firmly believe that having a positive attitude and making the best out of every situation are key to having a happy, successful life. Lastly, I am a great candidate for senator because I have prior experience in the position.

As an elementary education major, I aspire to be a teacher and an inspirational role model to the students in my classroom. I believe that serving the University of Northern Iowa as a senator is great practice for my future profession. If elected, I hope to represent the College of Education in a positive way and keep the best interests of our future educators at heart.

Rachael Johnson

Class: Sophomore
Majors: Middle Level and Elementary Education 

As a current College of Education Senator and previous Vice President for the Iowa Association

of Student Councils, I have learned what it means to be a leader, how to communicate effectively, and what it takes to make a positive impact. Through my experiences working with The ARC program (Association of Retarded Citizens), I have gained patience, a sense of acceptance, and an insight into what it is like to struggle with being “different”. Overall, these experiences have molded me into a better person, and have stirred within me a strong desire to use what I have learned to help others. This is why I believe I am qualified to be a Senator for the College of Education.   

Of all of my responsibilities as a member of Senate, the most important would be to accurately 

and effectively represent those students who are a part of the College of Education. Along with making sure the student voice is heard, I plan to go above and beyond by reaching a consensus when possible, putting forth the effort to turn ideas into actions, and using the minds of those around me to ensure that whatever actions are taken are for the betterment of UNI. I plan on accomplishing these goals by collaborating with other Senators, becoming knowledgeable on the topics brought forth, and actively asking students’ opinions on topics brought up in meetings. Through the collaboration with other Senators, along with my own thoughts and experiences, I feel I could effectively implement the ideas above. 

Meet the Senators: CBA

In order to warm up for the debate tonight, I thought I'd share with you all the statements submitted by Senators. When you fill out a packet to run, you're asked to submit an essay of about 400 words, about why you're running and how you plan to serve.

First, your candidates for the College of Business Administration (4 seats): Danielle Massey, Weston Hinton, and Maddie O'Donnell.  

Danielle Massey

Class: Sophomore
Major: Marketing: Management

My decision to run for the 2015-2016 Senator for the College of Business is fueled by many factors, all of which are rooted in my goal to improve communications between senators and the student body.

Educate Students on my Position
Possibly the most disheartening theme that occurred while collecting signatures for my petition was
consistent unfamiliarity pertaining to what Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) is. Some students were unaware that there was a student government on campus, or that I have been representing them these last few months as their senator. I have made it a personal initiative of mine to reach out to students. One easy way to do so is through in-class announcements. Many of my professors in the business college are very encouraging of this and would allow me to speak before class once a month. I hope to inform students on the happenings within NISG, as well as ask what they believe needs to be changed. I hope to let students realize my role as senator is to represent them and express any opinions they have.

Committee Member Commitment
I currently sit on two NISG committees: External Relations and Organization and Finance. Both of these committees have been working on very important topics these last few months. External Relations is working closely with the city, specifically on a current rental housing ordinance, which pertains to students. I have shared the news articles on this ordinance on my personal social media, and I have also encouraged students to attend the city council meetings. I hope to continue this commitment to the students, and keep them informed on any city news affecting UNI. Organization and Finance has also been working very hard this semester. Carl Reitz and Org Fi have done an amazing job keeping student organizations informed on both the contingency fund and the budgetary process. This is yet another focus I wish to continue into next year.

I believe I am a wonderful candidate to bring positivity and communication to NISG. My time as a
senator has taught me more than the basic workings of student government. I have developed better
communication skills, leadership ability, and work ethic. Seeing as three of the current four business
senators will be graduating, I look forward to working with my new colleagues, and hopefully making their transition into NISG as smooth as possible.

Maddie O'Donnell

Class: Junior

Majors: Accounting and Spanish 

This year, I have been continually impressed by the wonderful opportunities provided for students on 

\campus.  Nearly every day, there are on-campus events that allow students to learn valuable skills and information outside of the classroom.  As a member of the Service and Leadership Council, I had the privilege of working with NISG to gain approval and funding to bring in a speaker who will have a huge impact on students’ leadership skills.  As I met with the NISG finance committee, I realized how much I would love to help make decisions to fund opportunities such as these.  Therefore, I am running for the position of College of Business Senator.  I want to serve the university and the College of Business, and I am confident I will be able to do this as a dedicated member of NISG. 

I believe I am a strong candidate for this position.  I am very involved on-campus and have had the 

opportunity to meet many business majors – whether it be in classes, at business-related events, or in 

social settings.  As senator, I will act off of my comprehensive knowledge of the College of Business, but also on the opinions of those I represent.  I have strong communication skills, and I love to meet with and listen to others.  I feel that I will be able to accurately represent the needs, wants, and opinions of those in the College of Business.

In all of my endeavors, I serve the university first and foremost as a positive representative of what UNI stands for.  I have the opportunity to do this every week in my role as a Student Admissions Ambassador when I give campus tours to prospective students and families.  As a Senator, I will serve the university by using my strengths to promote the university and the College of Business students.  I thoroughly enjoy finance, and hope to be able to use this skill as a member of the finance committee of NISG. Finally,I will serve the university by my dedication and positivity in my position as Senator.

Weston Hinton

Class: Junior
Major: Marketing: Sales Management

My name is Weston Hinton and I am running for this position because I want to be the
voice for the college of Business. Not only do I want to be the voice for all of the students within the college of business, but I would love to represent them as well. I am running for this position because I feel that I can help the voices of others as well as receive benefits for myself. As a current member of several clubs and student organizations on campus I have retained a numerous and diverse set of skills. I realize that this is because of different experiences that I have been introduced to throughout the experiences that I have had in these organizations. I feel that it is important to step out of one’s comfort zone. This is important because this will introduce and expose you to problems and experiences that are unfamiliar. With unfamiliar experiences one is forced to obtain the skill of adaptation, which I feel strongly, that everyone should possess. I personally have never been a part of student government and I feel deeply that this position will give me everything that I am looking for. I want to reach out to more students that share common interests as me. This position offers just that. I feel that I would be the best candidate for this position because I am already involved in numerous organizations, meaning I already hold some great relationships among larger groups of people. I feel that this comfort level will allow me to connect to more individuals than the average student. I am what most consider to be a “people person” and speaking to new people and figuring out their unique story is always a thrill to me. I want to focus mainly on the internal portion and really gauge exactly what students want from the University. I also realize that I am able to benefit from this position as well. I feel that with this position I will be able to enhance my time management skills. While juggling a busy schedule, I feel that I will be able to adequately satisfy my duties required by my position. I will also be able to improve on my organizational skills, as I will need to keep all of my jobs, work and responsibilities separate from each other. I have developed a hard work ethic that not many people have and would love to display this through a position on senate. Thank you.

Response to Responses and Debate Preview

Well, here we find ourselves in week two of campaign season. We have our list of senate candidates, the announced Presidential tickets have met the requirements to be on the ballot and the NISG public debate will be held tomorrow. Apologies in advance for the long post.

If you've just started following the blog, I'll try to provide some context from the first week of campaigning. First we had our candidates formally announce themselves, the chalking began, and the websites and platforms for each candidates were released. Last Thursday I published a guest post from NISG VP Paul Andersen and former VP Blake Findley in which they, for lack of a better term, ripped the platforms of both the presidential tickets to shreds. 

Now it's my job to provide context and analysis, and I'll admit that I probably should have prefaced their post with more context. Let's understand this post for what it should be : a wake-up call to the presidential campaigns. 

Being NISG vice president is a hard and thankless job. People know that the NISG administration gets paid, but if you split their pay by the hour, they make considerably less than minimum wage. Every successful presidential campaign gets into office with high hopes and big plans, but the reality is that it is very, very hard to make lasting change in a one year term. Things that are easy to do have already been done, and things that are really hard to do, like getting students to engage with student government, nobody really knows how to change. 

Let's go back to their post. For many of their gripes, the loudest and most often is the HOW behind these ideas. If you read their analysis of the Katie and Renae platform, they respond with specific instances of how the proposed policy has been tried in the past. In their analysis of the Jared and Tanner platform, they are clearly frustrated by the glaring lack of familiarity with NISG. 

First, let's give some credit to Paul and Blake. They've worked really hard for students, and they have first-hand experience of this struggle that many of us simply can't understand. But let us also understand that it is really easy to take a NISG platform and cut it to shreds. They probably know better than most how hard it is to move the needle, and it's frustrating. It also is frustrating when people think they can do your job and don't take the time to learn what you actually do. 

So yes, it's easy to cut a platform up, but what's lost in the cutting is a desperate desire to maintain and progress an organization that many have worked very hard to build to this point. So yes, Paul and Blake were blunt and rude, but they did so out of the fear that their work will be diminished or undone by those that follow them. 

My hope is that the candidates take this criticism in stride, and view it as a wake up call; a vital part of being a student leader is being able to put yourself out there for criticism, and to adapt and learn from what happens. No matter what anyone says during the campaign, actually doing the job means adapting to whatever circumstances land in your lap. 

That being said, the campaign season is supposed to be the time where you demonstrate to the study body that you have original ideas to bring to the table. You campaign so that people are convinced that you know what the job is, and that you're the best option. Your job, your challenge for election season is to establish legitimacy as a student leader. 

Responses

I want to go over the response, or lack thereof, from both of our presidential tickets. While Jared and Tanner had a response written Saturday night, Katie and Renae seem to be holding off or either don't plan to respond. To begin their response, Jared and Tanner note that "nothing has been deleted . . . we stand by our original vision." When faced with opposition such as the guest post, you can either dig in deeper or you can be humble; it appears Jared and Tanner have opted for "digging in."

In their first section, ENGAGE, Jared and Tanner basically add details to their ideas for their Inter-Club Council (ICC). They elaborate on how they want to invite several student leaders to meetings twice a semester, post bi-weekly update videos, and discuss their hope for a focus group.

Jared and Tanner, it's like you didn't even read what Paul/Blake wrote. Did you read how they critiqued Katie and Renae? In their critique, they cite how the round table discussions were barely attended in the past, and Jared and Tanner offer nothing in how they are going to innovate in this regard. Jared and Tanner hope that student leaders will want to meet twice a semester. News flash: getting even one leader per organization to meet even ONCE a year is like pulling teeth. Ask any past director of finance, who struggles with NISG Budget Info meetings every year. In regard to publishing update videos in a timely manner, both Paul/Blake have tried to do this before, and it honestly means a lot of work out of your director of public relations, who has plenty else on their plate. 

In their second section, PROMOTE, they offer their first unique idea. They envision a Panther Friday that highlights a different aspect of UNI that is doing great. While this is nice, I just hope that they recognize that this does involve plenty of actual PR work. I was pleased to see something concrete at this point.

However, their paragraph on how to work at the state level concerns me. They want to " ensure appropriate funding for UNI, increase overall enrollment, and promote UNI's image." Now it sounds great to raise overall enrollment, this shows an ignorance of what UNI's long-term goals are. We currently are a place with facilities where we shouldn't really increase enrollment above 14,000 students. Again, I'm concerned with how serious they took the concerns raised by Paul and Blake. Fighting for adequate UNI funding has been the #1 goal of President Ruud's admin, not to mention our reps and senators from Blackhawk county. This is a very complex issue. I don't want Jared and Tanner to continue with the false notion that they will be able to be effective in this area. A far better focus would be on student fees. For those who don't know, the NISG President is the chair of the Student Fee Committee, which controls how student fees are allocated and collected. I'm not convinced at this juncture that Jared knows this, due to his lack of NISG experience.  

Their last paragraph, PROGRESS, is the shortest but has the biggest problem. In it, they cite regard for the training of Senators and Cabinet members, as well as having improved communications with the lower cabinet. This is stuff we usually see on every platform, including Katie and Renae's so fine. The real problem is how they want to re-establish the chief of staff position. 

For some historical context, the chief of staff used to be an upper cabinet position that helped manage some financial and personnel responsibilities in the administration. This ended several years ago when NISG opted to pay half the salary of Pam Creger, who works for the Student Involvement Center. Pam agreed to take on these responsibilities, and NISG agreed to pay half of her salary to do it. This is why we don't need a chief of staff, and why the current senate decided against implementing it during this year. To me, this suggestion is something that Jared and Tanner decided sounded good, but haven't actually thought through. 

I don't know which is worse, totally ignoring a critique and not responding at all (looking at you Katie and Renae), or putting out a response that totally neglects the advice given by the VPs. Jared and Tanner, if I am you I'd be reaching out to and meeting with Blake, Paul and any other people who have done this before to help you out. Rather than digging in, show voters that you'll adapt to criticism, learn from your mistakes, and show an honest desire to learn.  

In looking at Katie and Renae's platform, it is clear that they've done their homework. Katie, being involved in NISG for several years, knows how this works at this point. It is clear that they have several directions for what they want to do, but what I'm lacking is a definitive narrative that draws everything together. While Jared and Tanner are short on ideas, Katie and Renae need to cut down the number of ideas and put a focus on their campaign. Their idea for a Women's Center is definitively ambitious, and it looks like Renae has some insider knowledge after meeting directly with some administrators. Of all their ideas, this stand out as the most fleshed out and closest to reality. 

If this is the case, then why no response? If you've demonstrated that your platform has more to offer than the other guys, why not respond to the critique? Either way, remaining silent is not a good option. You either look like you're ignoring the advice, that you're above it, or that you don't want to bring more attention to the errors of your platform. Both are bad options. 

In a couple instances, their platform makes the classic NISG mistake of promising something NISG has no control over (usually, parking). For example, there's no way NISG can do anything about how MyUNIverse works. In other places, they fall guilty of explaining an issue and how they feel, but not how to address it.  Overall, I don't know if they expect people besides me to read through all of this. They have lots of ideas, but fall short on the implementation strategies. Will they respond to Paul and Blake? 

What this all comes down to is, who so far in this campaign has more original ideas to bring to the table. After digging through both platforms, here is the score that I have:

ORIGINAL IDEAS

Jared and Tanner:
Specialized Panther Fridays

Inter-Club Council
Bring back chief of staff

Update videos

Katie and Renae:
Updating the blog more, interjecting local/state issues
Lower cabinet director of alumni relations
Expand Panther Shuttle routes/ times
Women's Center

Now, my promise to you blog reader is that I will report what I see and share my opinion. You may agree or disagree, but I'll try to explain why I feel the way I do. I will refuse to engage in some sort of journalistic neutral position because it doesn't do anybody any good. That being said, I'm not convinced at this point that Jared and Tanner really understand why they want to be head of an organization they've never been a part of. 

When it comes to evaluating the candidates, judge them not by their looks or their org affiliations, judge them by their ideas. The list above is really what ideas each candidate will bring to the table. Once elected, everybody goes through extensive training by the current administration on the ins-and-outs of the job. NISG experience alone does not make good candidates. Kevin and Paul won last year with little prior NISG experience, but they learned the job and are by all measures excellent leaders. I lost to these guys, and there's nothing better than losing to people who deserve the job. There is no question that either ticket could be effective leaders, but I haven't seen the evidence for it yet. 

Looking forward to tomorrow's debate, I'm hoping the candidates will take this unique opportunity to put their best foot forward.  Jared and Tanner, you have this chance to prove me wrong and that I underestimated you. Show the UNI community of students that you really are great student leaders and that you're willing to grow. Katie and Renae, this is your chance to prove that your vision is concrete and has focus. Prove to voters that you're the ticket that has done the homework and has come up with solutions. 

I think that I am the most excited by the senate portion of the debate. I'll be covering the rise of For Real Senate as soon as I get a chance to sit down with them all, and I'm excited to see what their future plans for NISG are. 

Again, the debate is Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. in the Maucker Union. The first 40 minutes or so will be for the Senate, with the remainder for the presidential tickets. If there isn't a livestream, I'll record it myself and figure out a way to get the video online. I've been told it's going to be extra cold and windy tomorrow, so until next time stay warm!