Iowa State Student Government election polls open Monday. Two of the seats on the ballot are represented by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Hope Brecht, a sophomore in agricultural communications and leadership studies, is one of three candidates running to serve as a senator for the college.

Why do you believe you are qualified for this position?

“I believe that I am qualified. I do have experience serving as an advocate and serving as a representative of several members. I actually was a state officer for the Iowa FFA Association this past year and I believe that representing over 16,000 members as an executive board member would make me qualified to represent the thousands of CALS students at the Student Government level.” 

What are some of the biggest issues you feel need to be addressed in this next year?

“I would definitely say some of the biggest issues we have would be transparency between Student Government and the students. I know that a lot of times it seems like we’re all at different places, so just creating more of that transparency, and then I think obviously COVID is at the front of everyone’s minds — how we work around that and how we find our new normal. I know we’ll be going back to a lot of in-person events in the fall, which I look forward to, but making sure that everybody still feels safe, still feels healthy … With COVID, I feel like a lot of people’s mental health hasn’t necessarily benefited from that, so I think the mental health and going back to in-person events safely are some of the most important issues.”   

What do you hope to accomplish as senator?

“I really just hope to be a servant leader for the College of Ag. I know that this position is one of servant leadership, so it’s really not about me, it’s not about any personal agendas that I might have or things — of course, there are things that I would love to see done — but ultimately, it’s about most accurately and fairly representing the College of Ag and Life Sciences and making sure that their voices are heard and respected and that the college is getting what it needs.” 

How will you represent the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences?

“One of my biggest platform points is accessibility and approachability. I want the students of the College of Ag and Life Sciences to know that they can come to me with any issues they may have by just making my contact information available to them, attending club meetings within the college to gain a better insight on what their thoughts are and what is pressing to them so that I can most accurately reflect their thoughts and opinions with the Student Government.”

Why do you think it is important for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to have an equal role in Student Government?

“I think it’s important for obviously all colleges and for everyone to be represented at the Student Government level. Obviously, the College of Ag and Life Sciences holds a dear place in my heart, being a part of it, but I think a lot of the time, too, when people think of Iowa State as a university, they often think about our ag program and our College of Ag, especially for being notable and for it being outstanding. I think it’s important that we can uphold those values and that we can keep that recognition.”