Tomorrow, April 27, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students will be voting via email for President and Vice President of Student Association, as well as senators from their prospective college. Polls will be open until 7 p.m.

The four colleges are the School of Education (SEO), College of Business Administration (CBA), College of Science and Health (CSH), and the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CASSH).

SEO receives two Senate seats, CSH receives eight, SEO receives two, and CASSH receives four. The amount of senators is determined by the population of students enrolled in the college. Political science and public administration are housed in CASSH, which are usually popular majors of senators from that college. Because of this, CASSH normally has more students running for senate seats than the amount allotted. The rest of the colleges either have the same amount or less senatorial candidates running.

Although, CASSH has four seats, but nine senatorial candidates running. Due to the lack of on-campus advertising due to COVID-19, The Racquet Press reached out to all nine prospective CASSH senators for biographies. They are listed below.

Hannah Riegle, freshman:

“I am a rising sophomore with an economics major with an English and math double minor. I am running for senate to help organize more school spirit including attendance to sports events and mutual respect of all students. People should vote for me because I am hardworking and will speak for the ‘average’ student that feels their voice isn’t heard.

Abi Reiter, freshman:

“I am a current freshman with my major being Political Science and my minor being International Relations. I am running for Student Senate to create a more globally-minded campus. I want to support our foreign language programs, increase the opportunities students have to learn hands-on abroad, and advance the world knowledge of the students at UWL. People should vote for me because I am already involved on campus with the UWL Women’s Rugby team, I’m willing to listen to student’s feedback on how we can make our campus better and because I am new to campus I have fresh ideas and a different mindset that is necessary to create positive change.”

Amy Webster, freshman: 

“I am currently a freshman. I have two majors in CASSH: public administration and Spanish. I also have three minors of theatre, environmental, and legal studies. After graduation in 2023, I hope to go to law school and pursue a career in environmental law. On-campus currently, I am a member of NextGen, Students for Sustainability, and PSPAA. I’m running for this position because I’ve heard a lot about student senate and I feel that, through my involvement, positive change could be made on campus. If elected to the student senate, I want to make campus more sustainable in ways that make financial sense. I am passionate about the environment and love being outside. I’m a part of the Outdoor Recreation Community in Eagle Hall and go to the climbing wall at least once a week (when we were still on campus at least!). Additionally, I hope to create an inclusive environment on campus so people of all backgrounds and experiences feel welcome and comfortable enough to share their ideas and experiences. I believe that everyone’s ideas deserve to be heard and that everyone has the power to change something if they have the means to get it out there.”

Sophie Byrne, freshman:

“I am a freshman and a political science major and environmental studies and professional and technical writing double minor. I’m running for Senate because I’ve always been inspired by young activists like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai, and by student-led movements like March for Our Lives and Women’s March. Last fall when I got to school, I got involved in clubs pretty quickly, hoping to be an active member of the campus and help enact change. I currently serve on the exec boards of NextGen and Students for Sustainability. I plan on going into a career in politics/journalism/law, so running for Student Association seemed like a natural step for me and an exciting challenge. Issues I care about are sustainability, LGBTQIA+ rights, inclusivity, and working against harassment and assault on campus (side note: I’m also very passionate about acquiring more beanbags for Murphy Library, but that’s more of a personal endeavor). I really just want to help make UWL a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive! I’d also love to get more people involved on campus in general, and see how working for change at our school can have a lot of benefits, for both current and future students.”

Kelly Flynn, sophomore: 

“I am a sophomore with a public administration major and double minors in environmental studies and Spanish.  This past year, I have served as the Co-Chair for Students for Sustainability and have really enjoyed becoming involved with sustainable initiatives on UWL’s campus.  During this time, I have really become passionate about all of the issues that sustainability encompasses, from the environment to social justice.  I want to be a voice for these issues at UWL and I think being a part of Student Senate is a great way to create meaningful change on campus.  If I am elected as a CAASH Senator, I will promote environmentally sustainable initiatives, increase the inclusion of all students, and overall work to make UWL a safe place where students are set up to thrive.  I also want to help create more transparency and visibility on Student Senate so that students can feel empowered to share their opinions and stories. People should vote for me because I am passionate about creating positive changes on campus and I believe that Student Senate is an opportunity to do that.  Through my time as Co-Chair of Students for Sustainability and member of the Joint Committee of Environmental Sustainability, I have gained knowledge into the logistics and details that go into creating change and starting initiatives on campus.  I have also learned the importance of persistence in fighting for change.  I will represent the students of UWL by listening to and sharing the many voices and stories that need to be heard.  To make this happen, I will make the effort to interact with students so that I can genuinely and accurately represent the needs of our campus.”

Amy Schweiner, sophomore:

“I am currently a sophomore double majoring in public administration and economics. I decided to run for Student Senate because I think it is the avenue through which I can make the most change on campus. Through Student Association, I want to advocate for a safe, inclusive, and sustainable campus. The first thing I would do to work towards these outcomes is to make current programs more transparent and accessible to students. I don’t think most students realize just how many resources are available to them, so I want to make bridging the gap between Student Association and the rest of the student body a priority. Throughout my time here at UWL, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about budgeting, administration, and advocacy and I am passionate about taking what I’ve learned and using it to improve student life both on campus and off.”

Sydney Navoichick, freshman: 

“I am a freshman, my major is in political science and I am unsure of what minor I want to do. I am running for Senate because I have loved my time in Senate so far and I hope I can continue to make a difference at UWL. In the future, I hope to improve sustainability and inclusivity on campus as well as continuing to represent the CASSH of students well. People should vote for me because I am hardworking, compassionate, and reliable. If elected I will continue to listen to my constituents and what they want to see change on campus. I will work to make UWL the best it can be.”

Sam Ott, senior:

“I am a senior double majoring in history with a European emphasis and political science. I am running for re-election for a CASSH Senate seat to continue my push for changes that will benefit every UWL student, such as revising our main avenue for feedback, the SEI system. The current 7 question rank the class 1-10 provides little in the way of effective feedback. I also want to make UWL a better place to be for everyone who wishes to come here and to continue to push for new green programs on our campus.  People should vote for me because I have experience making a difference in student senate. As the only student on the universities’ SEI committee, I have pushed for a more effective tool that students can use to give feedback to instructors. This is critical, as it is just about the only way we can make classes better for future students. In addition to my work on the SEI committee, I have a record of supporting green fund grants, and inclusivity for all students.”

Andi Bach *awaiting response