A total of 12 newly elected Student Senators will soon be inducted for the 2015-16 school year. With terms beginning in the summer, new senators and executive members are already being introduced to the organization, and, with the assistance of returning senators, the team will have plenty of experience backing them up to get started right away.

The new student senate president is Amanda Love, current senator and chair for Commuter Services. A passionate student worker, Amanda has high aspirations for the future and knows this new team will be able to achieve all of them.

“I plan on improving our communication and getting new senators comfortable in their positions right away, so we can get working as soon as possible,” Love said.

With the new president eager to get started, making sure communication stays in place between upcoming senators was the main point of conversation at the second to last general assembly meeting for the spring semester, held April 30.

“It is essential that this upcoming team finds their chemistry early on,” explained out-going Senate President Isaac Brown. “There are a number of things that need to be worked on this summer and if the team isn’t working together, improving the college will be difficult.”

The new executive team, for the first time in history, is made up of all women. The new vice presidents are: Amberly Lesniak of administration and finance, Melissa Zuengler of legislative affairs (current vice president of team development), Amy Perez of public relations, and Raquel Manning of team development (current regional senator).

“There are a number of things we are going to be working on. Just a few of them are getting the B-cycle implemented, working further to reduce textbook costs, and finding ways to reduce crowding on the East shuttle,” said Raquel Manning, vice president of team development.

New senators, who make up the majority of the Senate, are Stephan Blanz, Jae Hyeon Lee, Antonio Lama, Michael Schroeder, Rhonda McGuire (Portage), and Joel Ihnem (Reedsburg). A returning senator Madelaine Tempas, is the current chair of the Textbook Committee.

But with a lot on their plates, there are no doubts that this team will be able to achieve more than any Senate in previous years. Senator-elect Lama articulated this even further.

“I’m new to this, but know if we stay organized and passionate, student improvement across both the main and regional campuses will be achieved,” said Lama.

And the consensus was the same across the board – don’t worry, we’ve got this. With a busy future ahead, President Elect Love said she and her team are ready to take the lead.

“This upcoming year we are going to push harder for students than ever before. If you haven’t heard of us, you will,” said Love.

To learn more about Senate goals for the upcoming 2015-16 year, visit the Senate website at madisoncollegesenate.com. There will be five additional senator positions open for election in the fall. The Senate meets Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Truax campus.