On Wednesday, May 7, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Student Association (SA) gathered for the last time this school year to bring forth and pass resolutions, send off Dean of Students Kara Ostlund and swear in President Wittman, Vice President Garcia and the 2025-2026 SA senators. 

There were no guest speakers on the evening’s agenda, so SA moved on to officer reports, where President Emma Latus and Vice President Avery Ladd-Winders read brief farewell statements to the body. 

“I just wanted to thank you all for a great year … You all put so much work in; I am very appreciative of it. Also, congrats to everyone who is graduating. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the organization during your time here. A special thank you to everyone who will be continuing next year and to our new members. I’m excited to see what you all do next year,” Latus said.  

“It’s been a great year. Congratulations to all of those who are graduating. Best of luck on all of your endeavors,” said Ladd-Winders. 

Inclusivity Director and SA President-Elect Emma Wittman thanked SA for their help in fundraising for the Multicultural Organization Scholarship and expressed her excitement to lead SA next term. 

Director of Sustainability Felicia Ritzke reminded SA of the Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine program, in which students living on campus can donate their used residence hall room furniture during end-of-the-year campus move-out. To learn more about the program, click here.  

Wednesday’s meeting was the last for Dean of Students Kara Ostlund as SA adviser, as she will not be returning next year. In her adviser report, Ostlund read off some parting remarks to the body. She recalled when Director of University Centers and Student Engagement Kyle Burke first suggested the idea of advising the student government.  

She said, “The opportunity to work with students in a different setting … The ability to serve as a resource, if needed, and the opportunity to watch students grow is why I decided to jump [at the opportunity] and why I couldn’t turn it down. And I haven’t regretted that decision ever since.” 

Ostlund offered words of advice for the future and extended gratitude to the members of SA for their dedication to student advocacy. 

“Every time you come to this meeting, you represent your constituents. 
You are their voice – represent them well. Care about the things that matter … As I step away from this role, I want to thank each of you for the passionate commitment to making this campus a better place … It has been an honor to serve as your adviser these past few years,” she said. 

SA then moved into unfinished business, where they revisited resolutions from previous meetings to be voted on. Resolutions to approve the SA election results, update the Recognized Student Organization Publicity Guidelines, confirm the updated senate seat distribution, amend the senate bylaws and approve the Green Bike program grant for the Green Fund were all passed.  

Also in unfinished business, Ladd-Winders reintroduced the resolution titled, “SA2425-039 Resolution to Enhance Policy Transparency and Student Involvement at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse,” to encourage the existence of student involvement in university policy creation. The resolution was approved, though Ladd-Winders said he hopes the efforts toward equitable policy creation do not stop after the resolution and his term as vice president. 

In new business, Latus introduced a resolution to recognize and honor Ostlund for her time advising SA. The two-week rule was suspended, and the resolution was unanimously passed. 

About Ostlund, Latus said, “She’s done so much and dedicated so much of her time and effort and care into this organization and all of us in this room. So this is just one small token of appreciation for everything that she has done.” 

The new President and Vice President of SA for the 2025-2026 academic year, Director Wittman and Senator Garcia, respectively, were then sworn into their positions. Garcia was sworn in digitally via Zoom as he is currently studying abroad. 

After Wittman and Garcia were sworn in, members who will continue in SA under the new leadership stayed for an additional meeting. The first item on the agenda for the second meeting was for Wittman to swear in the senators elected on April 15. 

The following individuals were sworn into senator seats: Alexis Rogness, Max Van Asten, Ethan Fitzgerald, Cole McCue, Avery Ladd-Winders, Joseph Held, Matthew Slavic, Marlee Simpson, Grant Hohman, Ellen Poels, Alexa Fleegal, Swasthika Selvakumar, Krish Neupane, Anna Neuenfeldt, Gabriella Cornejo and Emily Fechner. 

In their officer reports, Wittman and Garcia formally introduced themselves to SA. Wittman has previously served as the Asian Student Organization (ASO) senator and Inclusivity Director and Garcia previously held the Pride Center senator seat. 

She said, “[Vice President Garcia] and I are very excited to get to know each and every one of you and we’re looking forward to a very successful year.” 

“It’s really an honor to be in this position, and I’m so excited for everything that we can do,” said Garcia. 

Burke gave his adviser report, in which he announced that the new co-adviser for SA will be Associate Director for Student Engagement and Leadership Jacob Hart. 

In new business, a resolution to honor the previous President Latus was read to the SA body by Wittman. She said Latus acted as a role model and mentor to her in the pursuit and acquisition of the role.  

Wittman said, “Emma’s commitment to student advocacy has been evident throughout her four-year tenure in senate and from the moment she arrived at UWL, consistently championing student interests and civic engagement,” said Wittman. 

She continued, “President Latus has fostered a welcoming, inclusive environment in the senate chambers, inspired student leadership, strengthened relationships with faculty and staff and promoted the growth of [SA] … Emma Latus exemplifies the values and excellence that the [UWL] strives to instill its students—through her leadership, compassion, intellect and integrity, she is poised to achieve great success.” 

The two-week rule was suspended and the resolution to honor former President Latus was approved. 

The following piece of business was a similar resolution to show appreciation for and honor former Vice President Ladd-Winders, which was read by Garcia. Though Ladd-Winders’ term as vice president has ended, he will be returning to SA next semester as a College of Business Administration (CBA) senator. 

Garcia said, “[Vice President Ladd-Winders’] leadership has really encouraged student engagement and made sure that [SA] has represented and supported all of the needs of our campus community.” 

“Many have praised Avery’s steadfast dedication, his skillful balance of humor and professionalism and his strong commitment to shared governance, which are qualities that will lead to greater impact when he returns as a CBA senator,” he continued. 

The two-week rule was, again, suspended and the resolution to recognize Ladd-Winders was passed. 

SA will meet again come the Fall semester.