The Student Senate is back in full swing this year with 10 seats to fill, four from regional campuses and seven in Madison.

Interested students have a lot to look forward to with the current senate, which had its first meeting of the 2016-2017 school year on Sept. 1.

Initiatives senators are working on include solving the problem of high textbook costs, improving advising for students, fixing the review process for part-time instructors, finding a better way for students to voice problems and concerns with Student Senate representatives and solving the issue of littered cigarette butts in the front of the building.

Past work the senate has done includes establishing the shuttle that runs between the Truax, Downtown, South and West campuses and a night shuttle, funding commuter services like the bus, parking, paratransit and the B-Cycle stations, and instituting better refund policies.

Students who are interested in joining the Senate are encouraged to attend one of the meetings that take place every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in room D1630B on the Truax campus.

“Interested students need to have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher,” says Jackie Dahlke, faculty advisor for the Student Senate, “be enrolled in a for-credit degree program, and attend three consecutive meetings to show effort and good faith.”

Once student meet these requirements they will then need to make a statement stating their skills and their case to the senate, which will be followed by a closed ballot vote by senators and officers to vote the student to the seat.

For more information, students can email Dahlke at [email protected].

Current senators and officers

• Alex Hipler, president
• Marcus Mick, vice president of administration and finance
• Eric Simle, vice president of legislative affairs
• Eric Riedesel, vice president of team development
• Joe McDonough, vice president of public relations
• Meshan Adams, senator
• Junseok Byoun, senator
• Robert Price, senator