Candidates prepare for student body elections

by Jasmynne Sloan

Student body elections were held on Wednesday to decide four important offices in Student Senate: student body president, student body vice president, Campus Activities Board president and Religious Life Council president.

The race for student body president left Simpson juniors without a class president. Cory George resigned from his position in order to pursue the position of student body president.

“I resigned because every Senator takes an oath that they’ll do their best to serve their constituents, and I will do that best as student body president,” said former Junior Class President Cory George in his letter of resignation to the Senate.

If George is not elected, he will not hold an office in Student Senate.

“I will still be involved on campus in a variety organizations, even if I don’t hold an office in student government,” he said.

Two candidates vied for each of the four offices, and they all had a variety of reasons for running.

Student Body President

Junior Cory George: “I want to hold organizations accountable for the money they spend and help foster relations between the student body and Simpson’s faculty and staff. I also want to give students more power in having a say on campus when it comes to issues such as the alcohol policy, student handbook rules, and planning classes.”

Sophomore Michael Schrodt: “My primary goals are to have organizations increase their attendance to campus events, increase the power of the student voice to the administration and continue to increase diversity awareness on campus.”

Student Body Vice-President

Sophomore Kayla Schmidt: “I want to focus on getting student government to be a relevant organization in the eyes of the student body and make it a part of daily life here at Simpson.”

Junior Abby Smith: “I want to be student body vice-president because I believe that as a leader on campus, I’m very approachable and willing to work for my fellow students.”

Campus Activities Board President

Sophomore Nicole Molt: “If I’m elected, my goals are to get more people involved in CAB, and to get money for different kinds of events on campus, especially a big band,” said Molt.

Sophomore Kristine Robson: “One of my main goals is to get a big concert on campus, and I’d also like to continue to strengthen the Stormy Nights program, as well as work on coordination between various organizations.”

Religious Life Council President

Junior Corri Flanigan: “I want members of the Simpson campus, regardless of their religious beliefs to feel welcome in all aspects of religious life. I also hope to create a greater awareness about what religious life has to offer and inform the public of how the funding from student government is used.”

Junior Katie Ziskovsky: “The biggest reason I want to be president of RLC is that it’s seen as an exclusive group and I have the ability to change that perception through my relationships with other students.”

Despite the varied reasons for running, the majority of the candidates have an underlying desire to help others by being elected to a student government office.

“People run for office because they see student government as a way to change things for the better on our campus,” said Schmidt.

“I think people want to help out the campus and the students on it,” said Molt. “It isn’t a personal issue, they just want to help others.”