“I have more info on my goals, if you want to hear . . .” Tina Marshalek said, laughing. She had already covered textbooks, and next up was academic advising. After I said yes, she proceeded to whip out a notebook whose pages were filled with her big, swirly handwriting. In preparation for our meeting, Marshalek had written notes about all she wants to achieve as Student Senate president.

She wants to continue the previous senate’s work on textbook affordability, increase the accuracy of academic advising, address the tension between part-time and full-time faculty, and advocate for students with unconventional backgrounds.

After all the previous senate’s work on textbook affordability, Marshalek thinks this will be the year students see quantifiable results. Still, she wants to continue working towards textbook uniformity and an expanded rental program. She fully realizes that there will be challenges because Madison College has programs with more turnover than the UW schools, but as she says, “There are all kinds of options. Let’s explore those options.”

Additionally, after talking with “countless” students who had been advised to take a class that took them off the course to graduate or that would not transfer, Marshalek realized that this was a serious problem. When she went into classes, she would ask how many students had been advised to take a class that was not part of their degree-credit program. “Half the class would raise their hand,” she said. Eventually, “I got to the point where I just stopped doing that because I knew what would happen.”

For Marshalek it is not just about accurate advising, it is about advising that “consider[s] each individual’s path to success.” Advising that recognizes that not every student has a “typical Madison College story.” For Marshalek, the “typical” Madison College student means someone who grew up in Madison, maybe tried to get into UW and was unsuccessful or did not have the finances to go right away. But “that’s just not what every Madison College student looks like,” Marshalek says.

Marshalek herself does not fit the “typical” stereotype of a Madison College student. She lives on her own after moving away from Baltimore at age 18. She moved from Baltimore to Ashland, Wis., where she worked on Kelly Westlund’s congressional campaign as a campaign scheduler. While in Ashland, Marshalek also worked for the Ashland Daily Press as the news clerk. After about two years in Ashland, Marshalek decided she wanted to move on to Madison College. Currently, Marshalek is working towards her degree in Business Management while managing the business side of The Clarion, and working two other jobs outside of school.

Yet, Marshalek has continued to make time to be a student senator because, for Marshalek, being on the senate means “advocating for people who don’t feel like they have a voice.” For example, when she heard that some international students were having trouble navigating the website without the A to Z index, she wanted to bring it back. The senate did exactly that when they recently passed a resolution that brought back the A to Z index.

“At Madison College we serve all students,” she said passionately.

After getting “extensive” feedback on the “dynamics” between part-time and full-time faculty, Marshalek knew something had to change. The issue, she says, is that, while part-time faculty’s course load is being slashed, full-time teachers are having to take on that work.

“It’s impacting the quality of education” Marshalek said.

Knowing that this is a touchy topic, Marshalek wants to come at it from the student’s perspective. “ . . . This is something the students notice . . .” she said. Even in her own experience, Marshalek has seen “ . . . a drastic difference.”

While this is a lot to accomplish, Marshalek is up to the job. “There’s no part of her that wants to procrastinate,” said Cameron Flynn, an associate of Marshalek’s from The Clarion.