Not many Simpson faculty members have more than one job, but Doug Shull, adjunct professor of accounting, is one exception.

Shull, a member of the Iowa Senate, is running for a position in the Iowa House of Representatives.

In 1978, Shull ran for the House for the first time. He was re-elected in 1980. Shull and his wife decided he would take some time off to raise his children, so he decided not to run for the 1982 election. After 20 years, he ran for the Senate in 2002.

An issue important to Shull that affects Simpson students is funding of education.

“We need to continue to add funding because it is important to an awful lot of students,” Shull said.

Funding has slipped slightly, and tuition has increased over the years. According to Shull, some of the reasons include a lack of funding and a decrease in teacher salaries.

Another issue important to Shull is the number of job opportunities available in Iowa to attract college graduates.

“We need to either attract outside companies to come to Iowa, or those here need to expand,” Shull said.

Healthcare is another issue important to Shull. It may not be a concern for many students right now, but it’s sure to affect them in the future.

“We need to make sure healthcare is available to everyone at an affordable cost,” Shull said.

Although Shull values his teaching position, if he wins the upcoming election he wont be able to teach second semester.

One of Shull’s accounting students, junior Ashley Katch, has been involved in some of Shull’s campaigning, including distributing promotional items to the public.

“We go door to door and put pads of papers in them with his name on them,” Katch said. “We also put flyers on doorknobs supporting Doug.”

Women’s Basketball Coach Brian Niemuth knows Shull well.

“He’s a very caring person,” Niemuth said. “He’s involved with his students in class. The ones who struggle, he helps outside of class. … He’s very supportive of what we do.”