In order for this to be our best year yet, Madison Area Technical College students need to get out and get involved!

Soon, almost every Madison College campus will undergo a major transformation. Sections of the Truax parking lot and several main entrances to the building will be blocked off due to construction. In addition to cosmetic things, the school will undergo changes in staffing, programming and budgeting in general. On the state level as well as nationally, the future of higher education is up in the air.

To get involved in the decision making process for all of these changes, one of the best things you can do is get involved with the Madison College Student Senate. Whether or not you want an official position of senator, just want to help out on the campaigns, or have some other skill like web design, the senate has a place for you.

In addition to organizing around the issues mentioned above, the Senate has dedicated itself to two other very important campaigns this semester. One is making sure that all Madison College students who want to vote have the ability to do so.

Voter ID legislation passed earlier this year, requires a photo ID complete with current address at the polling place. This makes it more difficult to vote, especially for students and low-income people because we tend to move around more often.  Then of course there is the price of an ID to add to that burden. The goal of our campaign is to help students have easy access to affordable ID’s through the school.

The other campaign that we have planned is a student body referendum that will be held at the end of September. The purpose is to change the structure and amount of the student transportation fee. Due to increased ridership of students on the Madison Metro, our current structure and price is unsustainable. If we do not pass this referendum, students will lose their bus passes. This is of significant concern for many who would have to spend hundreds of dollars more per year to ride the bus.

Due to our diverse student body, both of these campaigns are of the utmost importance. Madison College is a unique place where so many different people come together for small parts of their lives. It is our jobs as students to organize and make sure that this can be the best experience possible for all of us.

The Student Senate is actively committed to this goal and we can’t do it alone.  If you are interested in running for a seat on the Student Senate, the elections will be held at the same time as the referendum at the end of September. However, don’t wait until then to become involved.

Dedicated Student Senators have already been spending hours over the summer planning for the coming year.  We need your help to make it a success!

Find us online at http://matcmadison.edu/plus/student-senate or on Facebook at “Madison College Student Senate”