2012 Student Elections Platforms

Student Government Association Executive Ticket Redbirds Every Day Andy Manno, Student Body President Nehemiah Chung, Student Body Vice President Jennie Paxton, Student Body Executive Director As fellow redbirds we are excited to have an opportunity to represent you as the heads of the Student Government Association. We are running for the top three positions consisting of Student Body President, Student Body Vice-President, and Student Body Executive Director. Andy Manno will be running as the Student Body President candidate, Nehemiah Chung will be running as the Student Body Vice-President candidate, and Jennie Paxton will be running as the Executive Director candidate. As involved students of this university, we intend to reach out to as many students as we can in order to ensure that no voice is unheard and no student is skipped. Our ticket is involved in a variety of groups from cultural organizations to Greek life and has a combined experience of over 3 years on SGA. Our ticket, Redbirds Every Day (RED), has been put in an extraordinary position to truly make a difference to the lives of students and the future growth of this university. If we are to make this university into something we all are proud of and a university that is worthy to be a place that we call our home then it must be all of us working together to do so. Our platform is built upon 5 specific pillars. These 5 pillars are Diversity, Transparency, Outreach, Tradition, and School Spirit. With these pillars in mind we intend to continue the success that the past administration has experienced and rise to the heights that we believe Illinois State is truly capable of reaching. Together we share a passion for Illinois State University and we want to ensure that the lives of each and every student at Illinois State become better than the year previous. We want you to have a voice and a purpose. We run under the motto of, seeking something better. We are on the pursuit of something better and want to continue to make your lives more enjoyable and fulfilling during your years here at Illinois State. We are redbirds through thick and thin. We arent just redbirds when its convenient. We arent just redbirds when its time to run for elections. We are redbirds every day and we live by the traditions and spirit that Illinois State University has endowed in us ever since we took our first steps on this campus. We are redbirds now and we will be redbirds long after we graduate from this university. WE are Redbirds Every Day.

Student Trustee Candidates Nathan Leffler

Phillip Shaw Hello, my name is Phillip Shaw and I am running for the office of Student Trustee. I am currently a junior at Illinois State in the Business Management major. Since my freshman year I have been involved in the ISU campus and community. I have been an active member of the executive board of my fraternity, Delta Chi, for three years, including positions in housing and currently as chapter President. I was also on the executive board of the Inter-fraternity Council for the 2011 calendar year and played a vital role in organizing the finances of the council. My experience in both my chapter and with the Inter-Fraternity Council has provided me with extensive experience in leadership, and has also given me experience in building and maintaining relationships with various university officials. My main goal in the office of student trustee would be to accurately and effectively communicate the concerns and issues affecting the Illinois State student body. I will also be able to provide a positive representation of the student body at all campus events and to the university officials and board members I will be in contact with. Personally, I would promote the continuation of the Master Plan and of the many renovations to the campus that have been achieved. Also, with the rising importance of technology in education, I would promote campuswide internet in all classrooms and on the quad. Finally I would promote the program Educate Illinois and the major benefits its providing to Illinois State; primarily the programs in increasing pride and allegiance to the university and also keeping ISU competitive with other universities. Again, my name is Phillip Shaw and I am running for the office of Student Trustee. I have been consistently involved in campus organizations that I believe have made me qualified for this role. I am also an active member of the student body and will be able to communicate the needs of the student body to the board of trustees. I hope to continue to be able to provide leadership to the ISU community and would greatly appreciate your vote on April 3rd and 4th. Aaron VonQualen My name is Aaron Von Qualen and I am running for the Student Trustee position for the 2012-2013 school year. I am very committed to and have a strong passion for serving the Illinois State University student population. I believe I have the experience necessary to ensure that every student group's voice is heard. I have served the ISU community as Student Body Vice President, as an Academic Senator, and as a voting member of the Academic Senate. Throughout my experience I have witnessed how the student voice is valued at Illinois State University within Shared Governance. I want to brand myself as a Student Trustee who ensures all students' interests are taken seriously and considered in every decision Illinois State University makes. I am focusing on eight pillars that brand my ideals and vision for the University: -College Affordability -Academic Affairs -Campus Unity -Diversity -Sustainability -Student Life -Civic Engagement -Communication

Please dont forget to vote on April 3rd and 4th!

SGA Legislative On-Campus Senator Candidates Watterson North Alex Driskell My name is Alex Driskell, and I am running for the position of Student Government Senator representing Watterson Towers. If elected, I intend to represent the interests of Watterson Towers residents. I will work with University Housing Services whenever necessary to smooth over any difficulties caused by the new renovations. I will also adamantly promote safety and security on campus, and I will work with the various police departments responsible for ISU to help reduce crime on campus. A safe and crime free campus is my ultimate goal, and it is something that every student deserves. With the loss of the dining center at Southside next year, and the addition of approximately 500 new students to Watterson Towers, Watterson Dining Commons will undoubtedly experience stress and crowding issues. I will work with University Dining to help find solutions to any problems that arise. To summarize, if elected, I will advocate the needs of Watterson residents, promote safety on campus, and help to ensure smooth operations at Watterson Dining Commons in the following year. Watterson South No candidate East Campus Kristen Faucon Connor Prokop Alyssa Shelton West Campus Patrick Evans Cardinal Court Brendan DeVlieger Hi, Im Brendan DeVlieger and I am pursuing the Cardinal Court Senator position. One of the main platforms that I will work with is student living. I wish for every student to enjoy their living space and to have an excellent time living in the new apartments! Furthermore, I wish to keep school spirit and pride within Cardinal Court because it is farther away from the main campus, so people may feel withdrawn from campus activities. I also, because Cardinal Court is going to be brand-new, I plan on keeping the apartments adequately represented with the university, and so the residences can rest assured their issues and ideas are being passed along and being heard.

SGA Legislative Off-Campus Senator Candidates Ben Adams

Freddie Alvarado Hello everyone. My name is Freddie Alvarado and the elected office position I am pursuing is an Off-Campus Senator. I am excited about this campaign as its an opportunity I am willing to take, if elected, to represent the voice of the off-campus community here at Illinois State University. Its my goal to get the opinions, ideas, and thoughts from the off-campus community and represent them with passion while being a member of the Student Government Association. In addition, I wish to show a voice in which represents all of the diversity and involvement the off-campus community possess. Thank you. Cody Corradino I Cody Corradino am running for the elected office of off campus senator for the 2012-2013 election. I do not have any affiliation with any political organization. My main goal for my term would be to establish an effective channel of communication between students living offcampus and the school. I believe I would be able to represent the interests of students living offcampus and present those interests to the Dean of Students, Office of Off-Campus and Nontraditional Student Services. In my eyes the best way to get something changed is to communicate the interest of the two groups and I will be able to do that successfully if elected into this position. I appreciate the consideration to hold this position. Seanna Fitzpatrick My name is Seanna Fitzpatrick. I am a freshman here and I am running for Off-Campus Senator. I have lived in Crystal Lake, Il for about 10 years now and I want to make the city of BloomingtonNormal feel just as at home to me as Crystal Lake has been. A huge part of why I felt so at home is because I was constantly involved in any and everything that it offered. Being an active person in my community has just come naturally. My personality is very social and I love getting to meet new people and making a difference is important to me. In high school, I was involved in a variety of different clubs. All 4 years I participated in Student Council. I was also a part of two leadership teams, one working with the community and the other working with our school, finding ways to give back and benefit those in our city and the other for the students and faculty in our school. Last year I organized a school wide event that encouraged students to donate items that would be sent overseas to those serving our country. We were able to send multiple packages to bases all over Afghanistan and Thank-You cards to them as well. Other activities I was involved in were choir and theatre for 4 years, as well as having been on my schools pom squad for 2 years, and cheerleading for 2 years. A few goals I plan to achieve if elected for the position are to become the voice of Greek life. I want to bring together all of the Greeks with the rest of campus in hopes to unite and work together to accomplish much more than we could separately. Currently being a part of Gamma Phi Beta, I feel that there is a misconception between those involved in Greek life and those not. I would like to break that barrier and be able to show the rest of campus that Greek life would like to and is looking forward to bettering the school community as a whole. I also would like to focus on the safety of off campus housing. I hope to bring about the idea of more emergency

lights, such as those on the quad to ensure that more than just freshmen and sophomores living in dorms are safe when walking home. The last thing that I want to focus my platform on is sustainability. I think it is very important to recycle and waste less; I plan to encourage the use of recycling bins and hopefully require all off-campus housing units to have designated recycling bins, not just per complex but per floor or per room. John Ford

Edward Gallagher Hello Redbirds My name is Edward Gallagher and Im running for re-election to the Student Government Association so I can continue to serve the student body and off-campus students specifically. My Platform Im basing my election on and the goals I wish to accomplish with another term are as follows: Civic Engagement It is important that our student body is active in our community. I want to work with the leadership and service office to promote community service projects and promote a more active participant in University and Town Affairs. Sustainability It is important to ensure that we are good stewards of the environment and our effects on it. I want to ensure that all aspects of Illinois State University are acting in sustainable ways. Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! Transparency I want the number one goal of the next Association to be ensuring that the student body is well informed on the actions SGA is taking to improve the daily lives of all of us. I want students to always know when there are new initiatives being enacted and improvements being made to Illinois State University so as to encourage an active and informed student body. These are my goals for the next association and what I will work towards with my second term. Let me use my experience that I gained from this past year as your representative to ensure that your voices continue to be heard in the Association. I have your best interests at heart and will available to hear your suggestions and ideas on how to improve Illinois State University. Emily Gibbons

Kevin Haggerty If I am elected as an off campus senator, I will give the students of ISU not only my best effort, but my utmost attention to be sure anything that can be done to better this campus will in fact be done. Currently I am enrolled in my sixth semester at ISU and I can honestly state that every day, I love this campus more and more. I want the best for our campus, our faculty and most of all; I want the best for you the student. Some of the major things I would do to better this campus include attempting to extend the hours of the library, make campus rent cheaper and

get students more involved on campus. Extending the hours of the library is a major factor that cannot be ignored any longer here at ISU. In the dorms, studying was much easier because of RA supervision and strict quiet hours. However, now that many of us are living in apartments, there is no authority to create a productive environment for studying. By extending the hours of the library this would allow students to have more time to study. My next platform is to lower the rent charged by realty companies. I think that everyone can agree when I say the realty companies overcharge the poor college students. Personally, I take out loans to pay for school and I would appreciate it if less went toward rent and more went toward my education. My last major issue is to get students more involved with campus activities. It was not until spring of my sophomore year that I joined an RSO. This was because I was not aware of all the great opportunities I could take advantage of. I want to increase the funding RSO?s can receive to put on events so students become more aware of certain RSO?s. These are just some of the major things I would like to change at ISU but I am always open to more ideas any student has, off campus or on. I love this school just as much as you do and have full intentions on making this campus better. Like I previously stated, I want the best for the ISU community, but above all I want the best for the student. Jack Kielma During my tenure as off campus senator, my goal is to make off-campus living as convenient and comfortable for anyone who wishes to pursue living off-campus. I understand how much of a pain trying to get the apartment or house that students want, and during my time I wish to alleviate some of those stresses. Also during my time as off-campus senator I will be willing to extend my hand to all and any students who need assistance with housing matters, contractual obligations, or any other problems that may arise. Annie Kuan My name is Annie Kuan, and Im running for Off- Campus Senator. As I know, Off-campus senator represent the interests of the students who are living off-campus. They will be the voice of the ISU student bodies that live at off-campus area and work with Dean of Students, Office of Off-Campus and Nontraditional Student Services to work out students concerns. Some goals that I would like to work on for next semester include 5 categories: Safety, Diversity, Environmentally, Involvement and Networking. Safety: I want to make the off-campus environment feel like home for the student, which they can feel safe and comfortable to live at. To work on the safety issues and decrease the violent cases at night time. Also to decrease the chances that can cause fire hazard. In addition, to have physical and mental resources provided for the students to raise students awareness of safe intercourse for those one who choose to have. Diversity: Have the off-campus as a friendly environment cooperating diversity. Let students enjoy the diverse environment and be able to work with it. To have the set goal, have an open

heart and mind to accept and learn others difference and appreciate our own background. Environmentally: To promote recycling for the off-campus environment and have students who live in apartment to correctly separate things for wastes and recycles. See if can set recycle bins at the dumpsters and set recycle days to recycle special things like batteries. Each little step from individual can make a big progress as a whole Involvement: To be more effectively marketing school events, scholarship, career fair and volunteer opportunities for the off-campus students getting the resources they need. Also to build up leadership skills and empower each individual as they participate. No one is ever too small to be a leader and no one is ever too big to be a follower Networking: To set up social networks like Facebook page and Twitter special for the offcampus students. This can keep the students update with school news since technology is very advance these days. Also help student to network and get to know more people. Moreover, this can remind students with upcoming events or opportunities for those who are interested to reach out and make a change.

Neil Majd

Garrett May

Eric Oja My name is Eric Oja and I am running for Off Campus Senator. This is my first semester here at Illinois State University. I transferred from Mchenry County College with an Associate in Science. I plan on graduating from Illinois State University with a bachelors degree in Renewable Energy. I am not originally from Illinois; I was born in Oakland, California. The reason I ended up here in Illinois is because my father was in the Navy. In fact I have lived in six different states, which include California, Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, and Illinois. Having to move so much has increased my social background. I am used to meeting so many new people that it now seems very easy for me to get to know a person. In high school I played ice hockey and was involved with tutoring after school. When I attended Mchenry County College I accumulated around 60 hours of community service. My service included helping with preschool children, assisting the elderly and cleaning up the road sides around my local neighborhoods. I want to be involved here at Illinois State University and I see a good opportunity of doing so by becoming an Off Campus Senator. Besides this organization I am also a part of the Illinois State University paintball team. I work well with other people, which is why I decided to run for Off Campus because we will act as a team of eight instead of doing things solo. My intentions if elected for Off Campus Senator is to better improve the students bodys overall experience while attending ISU. One of my goals is to make our campus a more diverse friendly environment both for international students and for those who are local with a different ethnicity. I am personally a student with a handful of different ethnicities in my blood, which include Filipino, Finnish, German, French, and Spanish. One idea I have to improve this at our school is to have an international day, where students can share cultural traditions and

norms with the fellow student body. Another one of my goals is to develop a plan to increase the voice of the student body. I want to hear every suggestion or concern personally, so that I can understand how to approach an issue and improve it for the better. I know I will not be able to solve every issue that approaches me, but I will try my best to resolve issues in both a timely and professional manner. Another goal that I have is to increase the relationship between the student body and senators. I would like to make the interactions between students and senators more personal. Instead of the students thinking they are just another number, I would like to establish a more personal relationship. I would like to see the student and senators on the same level, where one is no more important than the others involvement. John Olszewski

Linh Tran I have been involved with Student Government Association as an Exificio Representative for Asian Pacific American Coalition so I am very familiar with the organizational process. I believe that I am very qualified to represent off-campus students as an OffCampus senator. From holding leadership positions in different organizations, I have developed better organizational skills, passion for bettering student life on and off campus, and enhanced my leadership skills. Being an off-campus student, myself, I understand the assets and needs when living off campus. I plan on acting a resource and a voice for those who live off campus so that our needs will be met. Again, I believe that I am qualified to a representative for off campus students as the next Student Government Associations Off-Campus Senator in the next academic year of 2012-2013. Ryan Trompeter I believe that I, Ryan Trompeter, am an excellent candidate for the position of Offcampus Senator. It is very important that the voice of students not living in University owned Residence Halls be heard. As a member of Student Government I believe it would be my duty to best represent the interests of all off-campus students in SGA meetings. I would like help make the transition from living in a residence hall to living in an apartment/house easier. I strongly believe I could achieve this by using my interaction with off-campus students to be actively involved and petition in the Student Government Association. I will take any issues with off-campus living seriously and would like to work out resolutions on the matter with the Dean of Students, and Office of Off-Campus and Nontraditional Student Services. Also I will actively attend all SGA, and Academic Senate Meetings. Ultimately my main goal is to better the lives of offcampus students by making sure they are able to focus on their education above all else.

SGA Legislative Student Life Senator Candidates Nicholas Hevesy Hello my name is Nicholas Hevesy and I am running for the position of Student Life Senator in this election. I seek the position of Student Life Senator in this election because I want to represent the interests of all the students and RSOs on campus in SGA. My goal is to help students and RSOs to feel more integrated

with the Student Government Association. I want to bridge the gap between the SGA and the students on campus and to give the students a solid, strong voice in the SGA. I want the students on this campus to feel the Student Governments impact upon this campus and to actively know what the SGA is doing for them. I am an active member of the Delta Chi fraternity here on campus where I am involved with our community service and other activities. I currently have a 3.77 overall GPA and Im finishing up my sophomore year here on campus. Travis McPhee Matthew R. Miller My name is Matthew R Miller. I am running for the Student Life Senator Candidate position. I was in this position (formerly RSO Senator) this past term and would love the opportunity to continue supporting RSOs and students alike. I plan to improve the usage of CollegiateLink as a means for students and RSOs to have easy communication and centralize any activity of RSOs around campus. It has a lot of potential, but needs to be emphasized and made aware. I also plan to improve the knowledge of RSOs on opportunities to get funded as well as provide special sessions for those who want to learn more about the rights of RSOs. Lastly, I plan to improve students knowledge of RSOs by more publicity for the Student Involvement Center. This, along with improved CollegiateLink information will allow for improved student-RSO relation and allow students to get the most out of their involvement at ISU and create memories beyond the classroom. I have many connections involving RSO issues and communication and can make the changes necessary. Dan Petrow

Joshua Simons

ARH Executive Candidate Redbird Swag Angel Miranda, ARH President Chase Breeden, ARH Vice President Sustainability Focus on implementing new initiatives in and around the halls that promote a sustainable environment. Diversity Create an experience that encompasses students of all different backgrounds. Also, work with Governments, Unities, and University Housing Services to ensure that we are provide diversified programming and opportunities. Improvement to Residence Halls Student Groups

Reflect on Governments and Unities by establishing a plan of improvement so that they can be more effective to residents. Also, work on developing their Executive Board positions so that student leaders have the chance to develop professional skills that will benefit them in their future careers. Creating a New Experience Create a better on campus living experience for residents by working with University Housing Services as they continue to develop and grow. Our goal is to help provide a safe and fun on campus experience. Teamwork Ensure that we develop and strengthen established relationships the Association of Residence Halls already has. Also, take opportunities to establish new relationships that can benefit not only our student leaders but most importantly the residents. Strengthen the Relationship between ARH and the Residents Combining all five of our platforms and ensuring they are all focused on strengthening the relationship between residents and ARH. We also want to provide residents with support when it comes to all aspect of university life, including academics.