For the second time since December, the freshman class has elected a new senator to fill a position vacated by a resignation.

 In December, freshman Alex Richards resigned from her senate spot. After announcing the vacancy, elections for a new senator were held last week, and at last Wednesday’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting, Andrew Dexter was sworn in as the new freshman class senator.

 “I decided to run because it’s something that I’ve wanted to do since I got here at Simpson,” Dexter said. “I think that this was the right time for me to run. I didn’t want to overload myself starting out my freshman year, but I always planned on eventually running for student government.”

 Even though he’s been in office for just over a week, Dexter already has high aspirations for his future as a member of SGA.

 “Being a freshman, I know that I’m probably not looked at as a leader, but I want to eventually become that leader for the campus,” Dexter said. “I feel that student government is a great way for me to achieve that, and I also feel I think in different ways and will bring some creativity to SGA.”

 Dexter is the second of two newly-elected senators in the freshman class, and the latest in a series of seats across SGA that have needed to be filled. Two junior class senators resigned and had their positions filled last month, as did another freshman senator. A senior senate seat remains unfilled after the previous senator resigned to study abroad and no seniors applied for the position.

 Amanda Fichter, senior class president, said that number is much higher than previous years.

 “My first year on SGA, we only replaced one person at semester, and this year we’ve replaced four senators,” Fichter said. “It’s really unusual to have that many people cycle through.”

 Despite the numerous resignations, Fichter doesn’t believe this hurts SGA.

 “Hopefully, this will be a good starting point for the new senator,” Fichter said. “The big thing is getting people involved with SGA and having them stay with it.”

 According to Dexter, this is something he plans on doing.

 “If this was something I really didn’t like, that would be the only thing that would prevent me from running again,” Dexter said. “But I don’t think that’s going to be the case. I’m really looking forward to running for a position again.”

 Freshman Class President Mary Kaufmann said Dillon Thiner, the other recently elected freshman senator, has adjusted well to his new role.

 “(Dillon) has done a good job,” Kaufmann said. “He’s participated in discussions and really stepped into his role.”

 Kaufmann added the process for electing a senator takes time.

 “We have to let the freshman class know that there’s a vacancy, and then give them time to apply for the election,” Kaufmann said. “We then have to give them time to campaign and hold the election. It kind of interrupts the flow, but it’ll be good once the seat is filled.”