Megan Decker, sophomore in agriculture and society and journalism and mass communication, is a vice-presidential candidate in this spring’s Student Government election as she and her partner, Julia Campbell, look to take office next fall. 

One of the many roles the vice president plays in Student Government is to conduct Senate meetings and hear bills. With $2.6 million under control every year, the vice president is a part of the process in determining where these funds go.

Decker is involved in a variety of activities as she is a Recreation Services fitness instructor, a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences ambassador, a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and a legislative ambassador for Student Government, which have helped Decker experience many different perspectives.

“I think that [Campbell and I] both really strive to become involved in organizations that are people that look at and are from different areas than us,” Decker said. “And I think that’s probably the biggest thing for us,  surrounding ourselves with people that are different from us and are from different backgrounds and have different interests because I think gaining that perspective is so valuable.”

According to their campaign website, Campbell and Decker placed an emphasis on an inclusive community. They plan to promote university learning communities, offer a diversity, equity and inclusion certificate and help establish an elective class that students can receive credit for volunteering. 

Along with her involvement in on-campus activities, Decker has a lot of experience outside of Ames as she has served as a Senate Page in the Iowa Legislature, an intern in the Office of the Governor and a licensed real estate agent, too. 

Campbell and Decker hope to accomplish a number of things while in office. Among them is reengagement with all current and future Cyclones, which will be key in adjusting back to the new normal.

“I think engagement is going to be huge,” Decker said. “Not only from an academic level, but also on campus and involvement within, whether that’s clubs or jobs … especially targeting those different groups, those students who [have] never seen college without a pandemic … whether their high school experience ended completely virtual, maybe completely in person or a hybrid, reengaging them and helping that transition become as comfortable as possible.”

Having already experienced many unique perspectives, Decker hopes to learn about more in her role in Student Government and potential nomination as vice president. 

“I think Student Government definitely encompasses every bit of that because it is representative of all students, which has been really fun to get involved in,” Decker said.

Click here for access to more information about the Campbell-Decker campaign.