Every semester a new election takes place for Madison College Senate. There were 16,362 eligible voters as of Fall 2015 and 298 voted, only 1.82 percent of all eligible voters.

Nineteen seats take up the new school senate. From acquiring free metro bus passes and fitness center access, to lobbying and advocating state legislators on behalf of student needs, the senate is the students voice on campus.

As their mission states, “We have pledged to voice and hear the needs and wants of all students at Madison College, and to make sure all students have a voice in the governance of Madison College.”

Therefore, the Senate meets weekly to discuss college concerns that can affect students.

During the open meeting on Oct. 29, no student showed up, with the exception of Joseph Berggren and Sarad Aryal. Berggren was attending his third senate meeting, one of the requirements before applying for a senate position. Aryal was there to accept a nomination for a vice president position that had to be replaced.

Students can attend these meeting to voice their concerns. But what is a concern without a voice, especially if no student shows up?

Vice President of team development, Raquel Manning answers some questions.

Would you like to inform students about what you do?

First of all, we are the voice of the students. We listen to the needs of the student, be it large or small. If it is something we think that one of us as an individual cannot handle, then we bring it to the rest of the team. Then we collaborate and see if it is something that we are able to handle as a senate. If not, then we look for the possibility of asking the school for help. For example, we just recently had spoken with the school about installing more outlets in the cafeteria, which are located in the cafeteria. There are approximately four or five plugin outlets on the east wall and the rest of the room has eleven outlets that have two plugins each. If Student Senate members would not have spoken with students, they would not noticed that there were no outlets. Now students can charge all their electronic devices, enjoy their meal with fellow classmates, or study while having a meal.

What times are the meetings?

Senate meeting are every Thursday @ 4:30pm. At this time we are holding the meetings on the 3rd floor, room B 3243 of the Turax building until further notice.

Who is welcome?

Anyone is more than welcome to attend the meetings. We have allotted time on the agenda for public comments. At that time whoever is not a member of the Student Senate is more that welcome to speak.

Why they should attend?

So that students can have their points of views, thoughts and ideas heard. This also shows how strongly they feel about their issue.
Any message you want to give them as the vice president?

As a Vice President, I want students to know that we are here for them and want nothing more than to help make their education a more comfortable and enjoyable time. Meaning that we want to help them achieve their goal of graduating in the field of their choice. So if they have any question or concerns, please attend the meeting or come and speak with one of the members. The main Student Senate office is Room 143 on the first floor at the Truax building.

At this time we only have two regional campuses Senators, Watertown Senator Alyssa Schweiger and Portage Senator Robert Price.

Open meetings take place every Thursday on Truax Campus, 4:30 p.m., Room B3243. Any student is welcome to attend. Student voice is a great consideration. The next upcoming meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4:30 pm.