Presidential and vice-presidential candidates

Dylan Jambrek
Presidential candidate
Dylan Jambrek is a senior political science major with a public relations minor. He has served on the Student Senate since his freshman year and this past year has served as the Finance Commission director. Phil Rynish is a sophomore Biology major. He has served on the Student Senate since early in his freshman year. In Senate he has served many roles, including Organizations Commission director.

Phil Rynish
Vice-presidential candidate
Dylan and Phil are running for Student Body president and vice president on a platform of student power. A few of the things they plan to accomplish are increasing access to general access labs, more effectively lobbying the state and local governments and continuing to increase transparency throughout student government.

On-campus senator candidates

Jacob Kampen
I am running for a third and final term on Student Senate as an on-campus senator. Currently a junior business finance major, I have served on the finance commission for two years, and I direct the Information Technology Commission. I was responsible for bringing the USA Today Readership program to campus, and will continue to push for that program to continue next year. Additionally, I support the expansion of stand-up e-mail/print stations around campus, similar to those in Davies, to compensate for the lost general access labs. Thank you for your support!

Sarah Tweedale
I am a sophomore sociology major and English minor with a passion for involvement in many different aspects of student life at UW-Eau Claire. As a student senator for two years, I have been actively involved in several of the commissions under Student Senate. I am seeking re-election to continue representing students in this and other capacities. As the director of the Student Services Commission this year, I have worked hard to seek student input from inside and outside Senate to improve and expand the services that are offered to UWEC students. I would be honored to continue representing and advocating for the student body as an on-campus Student Senator in 2010-2011!

Kris Kotlarik
For the last three semesters, I have represented the lower campus residence halls as a member of the Residence Hall Association and the Dining Committee. Being in both organizations has given me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills and help improve people’s experiences at UWEC by listening to them.
Here is what I plan to accomplish if I am elected to Student Senate:

• Create my own Student Senator page where anyone can message me at any time with questions pertaining to Student Senate meetings. I will also post weekly entries with summaries of the meetings and work with other senators to promote transparency.
• Continue to represent Putnam Hall in both Dining and RHA and continuing to personally work with those living in the dorms.
• Add passion and fire to the Student Senate, especially during debates of potentially controversial issues
• Strive to make sure students all across the university have ample opportunity to have their voices HEARD and brought into debate.
• Coordinate activities and events that promote campus unity and diversity.

Thanks for taking the time to read this; regardless of who you may end up voting for, I hope to see a record turnout for this year’s election. Ultimately, increasing student involvement is the main reason I am running for Student Senate!

Stephanie Mabrey
While I have only been on Student Senate for two months, I have developed an enormous appreciation for everything that Student Senate does for the university. Keeping that in mind, however, I think that students are not made aware enough of what is going on in Senate. Often times, when students are made aware of what is going on, it’s too late for them to bring their objections to Senate. Therefore, I would love the opportunity to serve you all again next year in the hopes of helping to open up communication between senators and the student body. I would work to see that issues that are truly important to the student body, such as the mascot and differential tuition spending, are the ones that Senate makes priorities. Furthermore, as a member of the Intergovernmental Affairs Commission, I have tried to and will continue to make it my responsibility to see that legislators put student issues as priorities, including maintaining current, if albeit low, levels of funding, and, therefore, preventing the need for more tuition increases. I have heard many comments from students over the past year that they feel disconnected from Senate and that is a feeling that I would do my best to alleviate during the coming school year. Vote for me for Student Senate if you want your priorities to be our priorities.

Kelsey Jane Roets
Hi my name is Kelsey Roets and I am a junior majoring in political science and Latin American studies and minoring in history. I am very active within both the university’s academic sphere, serving on several professional committees and residence life as I am a resident assistant in Bridgman Hall. I am running for Student Senate because I want to represent the opinions and views of students. I feel that an accurate representation of students is paramount to a vibrant and healthy university. By electing me, you will be electing an avid proponent of pragmatism and integrity who will work to ensure that student views are not only considered but enacted upon.

Frank Heaton
Hey UWEC students! My name is Frank Heaton and I would like to become one of your on-campus representatives on the Student Senate. I am a freshman this year and I am majoring in criminal justice and political science. I am also involved in the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, Circle K and club volleyball. Over that past year, I have come to love the university, its services and its people. I would now like to get even more involved on campus by representing the interests of the students in their student government. In doing so, I want to help better many of the services and programs that the university offers by trying to meet the needs of their students. I am a well-organized person who likes to listen to the input of others and ponder their view points before making a decision. Thanks for taking the time to read and don’t forget to cast your vote.

Marie Stubbe
Hi everyone! My name is Marie Stubbe. I’m a junior transfer student from the University of Wisconsin – Marathon County (UWMC) majoring in business administration and minoring in accounting running for an on-campus senator position with Eau Claire’s Student Senate. While at the UWMC, I served as president of the Student Government Association (SGA). As president, the main issue I focused on was increasing student involvement and awareness of our organization. Although the UWMC is smaller than Eau Claire, it still took time getting the word out to students about what the SGA was, what we could help them with, and what we were involved in. That issue is one I would focus on here at Eau Claire if elected. Even though Eau Claire is bigger than Marathon County, I still believe that the goal of making sure every Eau Claire student is aware of Student Senate and the many different ways Student Senate is involved with issues the students have.

Felicity Yuchen Xie
A fun girl comes from China.
I am a sophomore, accounting major. I Love sports, music, adventures and my friends – hanging out with them is one of the loveliest things in my life. I dream of traveling around the world, visiting every corner of the earth – meeting different people, seeing every spectacular scene, experiencing diversity also wonderful life. Now, I have stopped by Eau Claire, one spot on my planning map, and I am enjoying such a beautiful life here.
I believe that I can bring some new ideas and proposals to Student Senate. Based on my deep cultural background and multicultural perspectives, I absolutely can contribute to UW-Eau Claire student life and diversity. In addition, I have a lot passion for being a student senator and doing some meaningful things for UW-Eau Claire.

Trevor Q. Goyette
I am a freshman political science/world politics major. I am running for Student Senate on behalf of all of the students who feel like they don’t have a voice on campus. So therefore, as a Student Senator I would always vote in a way that represents the best interest of the student body as a whole.

Aaron J. Rice
Hello, my name is Aaron Rice and I’m currently a second semester freshman at UWEC. My major is currently chemistry with which I plan to pursue a chemical engineering degree. I also hope to minor in Spanish. I am part of the Mixed Martial Arts Club here on campus and I also love to participate in any type of physical activity. This April I’m running for a position on the UWEC Student Senate. Although I am no political science major, I believe my input would be quite valuable to the senate. I believe this, because my input is your input. The main reason I am running for a seat on the senate is to voice the opinion of the students at UWEC. This year some decisions were made without the consent of the majority of the student body. I wish to help by voicing the opinion which matters most which is that of the students here. I would also like to wish all of the candidates good luck.

Mark Morgan
I am currently a junior and an economics major and am originally from Wausau, Wis. I have been on Senate since November 2009 and am looking forward to continue to serve the students on Senate next year. I have and will continue to advocate responsible action with student dollars and will always be a voice for the students both in the Senate and with administration. I hope to help broaden Senate outreach to students and encourage student involvement throughout the legislative process.

Thang Minh Nguyen
My name is Thang. I’m a sophomore student, majors in accounting and information systems. I want to fight for students’ right that we all have the right to graduate on time. In this case, the school should provide more major classes and classes should appear every semester, so students will have more and more opportunity to schedule, study, and graduate on time. With working hard and always listening to people to get ideas, I think I will be a great senator.

Brianna Burke
My name is Brianna Burke, and I am a freshman here at UWEC. I am a biochemistry/molecular biology major and am pre-med. I would like to be a part of Student Senate because I am a very motivated person and I want to be a part of something that makes an impact in all our lives. I want to make a difference, and this is a great opportunity in which to do so.

Kayla D. Johnson
I’m Kayla Johnson, and I am a Political science and print journalism double major. I feel that I would be an effective senator because I have a high level of involvement on campus, and I recognize the importance of student opinions. I’m a dedicated member of several orgs, including the UWEC College Democrats, The Flipside and the Intergovernmental Affairs Commission. One thing I would want to address if I were to be elected is the betterment of communication between the Student Senate and the regular student body, because the collective concerns and opinions of the students are of high importance.

Steven Van De Laarschot
Hello, this is Steven Van De Laarschot. I am running for Student Senate. I am a sophomore and a world politics major. I write regularly for the Flipside and my articles always concern recent events in the news. I am a member of the College Democrats, I play bassoon in university band, and I love playing soccer. I can promise to work hard on Student Senate if elected because, despite not being a member, I recently attended a four hour Student Senate meeting just to prepare myself for being a student senator.

Off-campus senator candidates

Jimmy Haggerty
Hi I’m Jimmy Haggerty. I am a junior, majoring in political science. I hope to become a high school history and U.S. Government teacher. I first became interested in joining Student Senate last semester during the Blugold Commitment debates. I feel that an overwhelming majority of students are appropriately informed on the inner workings of Student Government. As your Student Senator next year, I promised to make every effort to make sure that the general student body is well-informed. I also vow to keep the students’ interests in mind while making my vote, and will make what I believe is the best decision for the university and students alike.

Allison Shilling
I am a junior majoring in graphic design and have been on Student Senate since my freshman year. I have been an active member of Student Life and Diversity, where I co-chaired the Women and Genders Issues Committee, Public Relations as well as Student Services. I have realized this past year that the student body needs to be educated while making decisions on surveys or referendums and that is one thing I am going to work for this next session. The Student Senate needs to be more proactive in student involvement whether it is through outreach sessions, surveys, or lit drops. I hope you re-elect me for this next session to represent the student body.

Patrick Martin
Hello UWEC! My name is Patrick Martin and I’m your candidate for Student Senate. For far too many of us, cost is rapidly becoming a prohibitive factor in furthering our educations. As a Student Senator, I will work diligently to ensure that you keep more of your money, and that segregated fees are put only to necessary and responsible work. I look forward to working with you to find ways to make UWEC a more efficient, competitive and fun place to attend. Let’s make the 2010-2011 school year the best yet!

Paydon Miller
Hi everyone. My name is Paydon Miller, and I have been one of your Student Senate representatives for the past year. I’m extremely proud of my past voting record, so I’ll try to keep it brief: I voted against the Blugold Commitment at every opportunity, to bring free newspapers to campus as part of a College Readership Program and to keep Student Senate elections legitimate and verifiable so your vote is tallied and your are properly represented. Also, in response to student complaints of a general lack of outreach on the part of the Student Senate, I helped create a TV-10 program aimed at spreading Senate-related information to students and promoting transparency; I also participated in numerous Senate listening sessions aimed at hearing your opinion on student issues. In the next session I plan to: ensure that the money brought in by the Blugold Commitment is spent frugally, intelligently and in a way that will benefit EVERY student, bring a strong voice and new ideas to the new Environmental Endeavors Commission, which aims to promote a greener campus in Eau Claire and to increase outreach to students through a utilization of the Public Relations commission and through a continuation of his TV-10 program. You, the students, had enough faith in me to elect me to Senate the first time and I ask you all for the opportunity to continue. I thank you for your consideration.

Mitchell Wenzel
I am a current new member to Student Senate, hoping to be elected into another term to further my involvement in the Public Relations Commission and Senate in general. Next year as a senior and Public Relations major, my goal is to keep the student body up to date on all of the Senate’s actions, decisions, as well as their intentions, in ways that promote two-way communication between the Senate and the student body.

Janna Caspersen
Hi, I’m Janna Caspersen. I will be a senior geography major this fall and will be running for a third and final term on Student Senate. This past year I was the United Council Delegation Leader and hope to continue to represent UW-Eau Claire at the United Council level. I take my position as a Student Senator and try to represent the students to the best of my abilities. I hope to be elected once again to represent you!

Josh Stolberg
I am a junior political science major with a minor in Web design. I think I can provide the student population with a voice in Student Senate that directly reflects their own opinions. If elected, I would be one to happily make students more aware of issues surrounding our campus, and steer away from resolutions that are just ways to get students dollars, with no actual plan for implementation (*cough Blugold Commitment*).

Melissa Opitz
Hello my fellow students! My name is Melissa Opitz and I am running for an off-campus Student Senate seat. I am a junior marketing major with a music minor. As well as taking classes, I am currently the chair of the UAC Festivals Committee; I play piano for four voice students, and am heavily involved in this university.
You may be asking what sparked my interest to run for Student Senate. Originally, the Blugold Commitment debate, as well as my involvement in the University Activities Commission (a committee within Student Senate), had started up my interest. However, now that I have looked into it more, I have so many reasons to run for Student Senate. My top three reasons for running are: I want the student’s voices to be heard, I want to inform the students of as many details as possible before they vote on something (such as the BC) and I want to be a voice for my fellow students and tell of their concerns to the SS and the university.
I look forward to representing the students of this university if elected into office.

Jake Bernardy
I am a junior English education major with a minor in organizational communication. I am an Eau Claire native with no previous political experience who brings a unique and fresh perspective to the Student Senate. I am running for Student Senate because I think it will be a great experience, and an excellent opportunity for me to help represent the student population on important issues.

James Kust
I am a sophomore broadcast journalism major, minoring in political science. I think I would be a great student senator because I have the communication skills required to benefit the discourse of the Senate, as well as the desire to speak with students and try to understand their views on the important issues.

Maxel Schultz
My name is Maxel Schultz and I am a senior computer science software engineering major with a music minor. I would like to be a senator so I can be ensured that money is spent as efficiently as possible on campus.

Alan Wong
I know you are angry, and I know you are tired of paying more and receiving less from this university. I am in the same boat with the 69 percent of the students surveyed who disagree with the unnecessary hike in tuition proposed earlier this year. It was clear that the majority of the students were upset, and you need a student representative who represents you fairly. My name is Alan Wong, and I am a junior accounting major. At present, I am a committee member of the Affirmative Action Review Board as well as the College of Business Academic Curriculum. I am running to be an off-campus senator for the next academic year, and I am here to listen to you and address your concerns to the university. Please let me provide the necessary leadership to truly stand for the student body and make positive contributions to our school.

Ben Ponkratz
I’m a junior business administration major with a minor in environment, society and culture. I’ll be a great student senator during the next session because I’m very passionate and have a wide variety of experiences. Currently, I’m leading several sustainability initiatives such as dorm composting, a dorm energy monitoring project and the Sustainability Showcase. I’m involved in AIESEC as VP of Business Development, a cadet in the R.O.T.C. program and I’ve been chair of the Student Senate’s Environmental Issues Committee since February. I’m always open to input from all kinds of students so please approach me and say hi.

Matt Sias
I am running for a second term on Student Senate as an off-campus senator. For the past year I have served as the Student Senate’s Webmaster, as well as a member of the Information Technology, Student Services and Academic Affairs Commissions. I have worked to advance outreach to students through Facebook, Twitter and holding listening sessions. Also, I have been working to get 24-hour access to the Haas Fine Arts building, wireless Internet throughout the residence halls, and more involvement in student governance. Thank you for your support!