On behalf of the Student Senate, I would like to welcome you to another year at Madison College.

As your elected student representatives, we are working on a number of goals towards improving your experience here. These include:

• Finding new ways to reduce the amount students pay every semester for textbooks.
• Looking for ways to improve commuter services, especially at the Madison campuses where parking is limited and competition for spaces is fierce.
• Improving the sense of student belonging at Madison College.

We will also provide student perspectives on important issues such as the future of the Downtown and South campuses in Madison.

Do you have ideas for changes or concerns about how things are run at the college? If so, we need your voice and participation.

One of the best ways to get things done for those who are more ambitious, interested in developing leadership skills and would like to help others ,is to become a senator.

The Student Senate will be holding an election for several open seats in the coming weeks, and those who are interested in taking on this opportunity should fill out an application on our website (www.madisoncollegesenate.com) by Sept. 18 to be included on the ballot.

I especially would like to encourage returning adult students, students not in the Liberal Arts Transfer Program, and students at the Watertown, Reedsburg and Fort Atkinson campuses to apply. You represent unique points of view and concerns that may otherwise be underrepresented.

However, for the many students who have no interest in or time for such a role, there are other ways you can have your voice heard. You can participate on student-led committees to address more specific issues, or contact Student Senate in a variety of ways – check our website for all the ways to contact us.

I encourage any student to share his or her dreams for improvements at the college, too; whether that is having a certain class offered at your campus, a new program, a new recreational facility, student housing, new food options, or something else entirely. If enough of us share the same goal, we can make incredible things happen.

Have a great semester, and I hope to see many of you involved and taking on leadership roles around Madison College soon.