Iowa State Student Government election polls open Monday. Eleven of the seats on the ballot are represented by the United Residents Off-Campus (UROC). Victoria Fillipi, a sophomore in political science, is one of 11 candidates running to serve as a senator for the college. 

What makes you as an individual qualified for this position in Student Government? 

What probably makes me the most qualified is that I have a very diverse background when it comes to organizations. I am a nontraditional/transfer student, so I understand the difficulties and issues that nontraditional students face, and I am a nontraditional student as a result of serving in the Iowa Air National Guard, so I also conduct students who have ties to either the Military or Military organizations. I’m also involved in Greek life as a member of Delta Gamma, so I can relate to the needs and interests of students and life. And then, in accordance with Student Government, I currently serve as a legislative ambassador and out to work as a clerk in the House of Representatives, and those two, I would say probably make me the most qualified just because they specifically deal with Student Government.  

What are your goals and what do you want to accomplish in your potential position in Student Government?

So tying in with my role as a transfer/nontraditional student, as I mentioned earlier, I understand the struggles and frustration of transferring from one accredited institution to another, so I really think there needs to be improved coordination of transferring credits from courses deemed acceptable from accredited institutions such as high schools, trade schools and community college to Iowa State University. I really want to work towards implementing policies requiring transparency between university and accredited institutions. My next one, it’s actually kind of a fun platform point. Scooters have become very popular around the United States and this past February, the Student Government supported the creation of a new scooter program in Ames. I would just like to be that consistent student leadership that is needed to coordinate with the city and the university to create mini scooter programs but not just in each scooter program, one that’s successful and efficient, so I will definitely be an advocate towards a rollout of electric scooters and aim to have that done within one calendar school year by the spring of 2022. My final platform point was probably the one that I think almost every student can connect to, it would be like the elimination of delivery, delivery fees. The United States is currently in a student debt crisis so all costs should be subject to review. And then as I learned, due to COVID, I was seeing university canceled the extra delivery fee that is charged to students for taking an online course. And it’s to be determined, but the university plans to revoke this change. So I will introduce a resolution calling on the university to make this change permanent in order to best benefit the students. So really my goal as a senator, specifically a UROC senator, is just to be a voice for every student. Iowa State University has so many diverse students and I want to be approachable and for every student to feel comfortable reaching out to me specifically if they live off campus. My platform shows that I have a variety of platform points that will all contribute to making Iowa State a more efficient and effective campus for all students. 

What needs to change in Student Government? What are some issues you think need to be addressed? 

I think what needs to change is that everyone needs to be more open-minded and listen to each other, because I mean, that is how we learn. And it is so amazing that we live in a country where we have so many diverse backgrounds and cultures and that we can learn from each and every one of them. So I think that Student Government really needs to take charge to hold up that and really value diversity and then learn from every single person, no matter the background.  

How do you hope to represent your constituents? 

I hope to represent my constituents, as I mentioned earlier, just by being able to be approachable and not shying away from any issue or item they may have. So really you know just being able to advocate or support the interest of all my constituents, the students living off campus. 

Why do you think it is crucial that UROC has an equal role in Student Government?

It’s crucial that you had an equal role in Student Government because I’m not sure of the exact statistic, but I know a majority of my very close friends and people I’ve worked with live off campus. The students who live off campus still obviously go to school, and their voices still need to be heard. There are issues and concerns that they have and sometimes may be shied away from because they live off campus.