“Integrity, respect and communication” are what being Student Senate President means to Alex Hipler.

Born and raised in Madison, Hipler is a proud transfer student of Madison College because of the opportunity this school provides him.

“I come from a very poor background,” he said. “and [Madison College] gives a lot of opportunity for upward mobility for someone such as myself from that background to move up and have the opportunity to go to a four year college such as UW-Madison, or UW-Milwaukee.”

Citing his passion for economics and watching the stock market, Hipler plans to transfer to the University of Wisconsin-Madison so he can attend their School of Business and become a financial advisor, or possibly a hedge fund manager.

“Business has always come natural to me,” Hipler explained, his blue eyes reflecting both the passion and seriousness of his words. “Also my mom’s partner kind of introduced me to it a little bit. It’s a little family thing as well.”

For Hipler, getting involved in Student Senate wasn’t just about building a resume, or expanding on skills, though he does say that was a push. It’s about expressing the voice of the students and doing what he can to help out. That’s why he wanted to be Senate president in the first place.

“I felt I could serve my students better in that position. Not only that, but it would help me grow as a leader and broaden my skills as a person in general,” he said.

The Senate has served its students well thus far and Hipler is proud of this. He and the other officers and senators have a series of initiatives they have either in place or in the works to help students this year and in years to come.

“We’re currently working on textbook cost reduction.” he explained, “Additionally, we are working to improve the updated [Madison College] website.”

Hipler said students have commented that they miss the old A-Z index, so the Senate is working to bring it back permanently to the new website.

“We’re going to be continuing our transportation policy,” he went on. “We’re going to be outreaching to businesses on the north side to erect a new B-Cycle station, so students can commute to there from Truax.”

Other things the Senate is working on include cleaning up the cigarette butts in front of the school, and solving the problem long-term by providing students a place to smoke, without promoting smoking on Truax’s smoke-free campus.

If there was one thing Hipler could do for Madison College, he said it would be improving academic advising for students.

“I think the academic advising improvements are critical for a smooth transition for students into their careers, or into other universities,” he said.

At the end of the day, with all the ideas and plans Hipler has for Madison College and the Student Senate, there is one important thing he’d like you to know.

“I’m a very approachable person. If you have any questions or comments, just come and ask me. If you see me in the hallway, I usually have time to stop by.”

Students can usually find Hipler in the Student Senate office, room A2033.