Collegiate Panhellenic Council senator and sophomore in political science Morgan Fritz is running to represent the student body of Iowa State as its next Student Government President. 

Fritz is running alongside Jacob Schrader, a candidate for vice president, on a platform of addressing college affordability, campus climate and sustainability on campus.

“I’ve seen how much of the staff and faculty genuinely care about our education and just care about us in general, and they want to see us succeed; they want to see us do well. And so I think that is a more important facet than I realized once I got here and actually experienced it for myself,” Fritz said.

Fritz said she is running because of her passion for Iowa State and desire to represent students.

“I am running because, in general, I love Iowa State,” Fritz said. “I want to see the best for it. I really want to represent students, represent them well, and I think that I have the skills and abilities to do that, and it’s just something that I really enjoy doing. I’ve always liked the public sphere, and it’s a great way to do that as a student.”

Additionally, Fritz discussed how she ended up running for the position of president.

“I really wasn’t planning on it this year, but Jacob Schrader had talked to me, and he said, ‘What would you think about this?’” Fritz said. “And we had met each other through Legislative Ambassadors and stuff, and I was on his committee for the Affordability Committee within Legislative Ambassadors, and we worked really well together. We started Senate together, and so he just suggested, ‘What is the potential for it?’”

Fritz said this led to her desire to work with Schrader as her vice president, and they then developed their ideas.

One of the Fritz-Schrader campaign points is supporting the university’s plan to reduce carbon emission by 50 percent in the next 10 years.

“We talked to Facilities Planning and Management, and it sounded like the main concern they had with it was that there would be short-term increased costs to departments for electricity,” Fritz said. “That’s really the only thing holding it up because in the long term, it would have no excess cost to students; carbon emissions would be reduced by 50 percent, so we think it’s a great plan.”

Fritz said they plan to get this done by voicing student support for the plan and talking with university administration.

Fritz will be one of the two presidential candidates debating Tuesday evening. For more information about the Fritz-Schrader campaign, you can go to their website or follow them on Twitter @FritzSchrader_.