Current Vice Speaker of Student Government and senior in economics and political science Jacob Schrader is running to represent the student body of Iowa State as its Student Government vice president.

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

“I think that when it comes to student body president and vice president, it’s important to have people that are passionate, that understand the issues and that have experience so they know how to actually accomplish those things,” Schrader said. “With enrollment declining, it is an important time for our university when it comes to affordability, when it comes to sustainability, campus climate, I mean we’re in a very important time, and students need a president and a vice president that take those issues seriously.”

An idea of Schrader’s campaign is implementing Income Share Agreements into the university. Income Share Agreements would be an option for students to contract with the university to pay back a certain percentage of their future earnings for a fixed period after graduation.

“The model that we probably want to look at is Utah; it currently has a pilot program,” Schrader said. “[If] we get elected, we need to sit down with the university and we need to say, ‘What protections do we need students to have?’ and ‘What’s the max percent people are going to be expected to give up?’ [and] ‘What’s the max years?’ so we ensure students aren’t getting screwed by bankers or ultra-capital firms that just try to exploit students.”

Schrader said that the most important issue facing this generation is the ability to get an affordable education.

“Dropout rates among people in marginalized communities are higher than people who aren’t in those communities, which is why campus climate is important,” Schrader said. “When we talk about sustainability, that flooding in western Iowa is affecting the state budget, which will eventually affect Iowa State’s budget.”

Schrader has been a senator now for three years and said the friendships he has made over time have taught him a lot.

“Friendship with [former] Vice President Cody Smith, Juan [former vice president], Vish, who’s the current vice president, I think I’ve learned a lot from them, and I want to take what I’ve learned from all these people who I consider are good friends and do the best I can in the role because it goes back to the experience,” Schrader said. “Students deserve someone that’s been there before […]. I only try and do something, whether it’s in here or somewhere else I know; on the basketball team, I don’t try and play point guard if I’m not the best point guard.”

Schrader will be one of the three vice-presidential candidates in the debate. The debate will start at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union.