Quinn Margrett, a freshman majoring in business economics and a current residence hall senator, is running to represent the College of Business on the Senate.

Student Government is a student organization that exists to serve and represent all students, according to the student organization database. Other student organizations can apply for funding through Student Government, which, according to their website, has roughly $2.6 million in annual student fee revenue to distribute.

The Student Government elections will take place March 7-8. Ballots will be emailed to students’ Iowa State email addresses.

Why do you want to return to Student Government?

“Well, I say this a lot, but I say it a lot because I really believe it, which is that Student Government is the best resource we have as students to get to positive change on campus, because change is something that’s really hard to get to.”

“Our Student Government is comprised of really dedicated and hardworking students who work really hard to listen to their constituents and then to advocate for change that affects all of us in our daily lives, and we do that in a multitude of ways. Recently, we’ve advocated for dropping the drop limit, we built affordable virtual mental health care for students and we often host town hall events on important topics like diversity, equity and inclusion.”

What was your biggest accomplishment while in Student Government?

“The term I’ve served on ASSET. ASSET is Story County’s Analysis of Social Services Evaluation Team, and not many students know about the important work that we do. Each year [Student Government partners] with the City of Ames, Story County and United Way to join forces and purchase important, often essential, social services for students that wouldn’t be able to exist without this collective effort from all of our organizations. I believe that your ability to attend college should never hinge on where your next meal is coming from or whether you can afford basic medical care. It just shouldn’t, and we’re working to fix it.”

“Beyond ASSET though, a project that I’m currently leading on behalf of the local affairs committee is our what I’m calling ‘do stuff and Ames outreach campaign’. At least that’s what I’m calling it, and we’ll see if it sticks.”

What are the biggest issues facing your constituents, and how will you address them?

“My platform is based on two simple ideas. Firstly, I’ll work to move our college forward, and secondly, I’ll work to move our Student Government forward. Perhaps most importantly, I want to narrow that gap between our college and our Student Government. When it comes to the needs of students in our college, I’m incredibly excited to continue fighting food insecurity and supporting efforts in sustainability.”

“As a member of our special student fees and tuition committee, I understand the struggles of paying your U-Bill on time. I’ll work to make sure that your tuition isn’t higher than it needs to be while at the same time making important investments in your education.”

What are your qualifications for being a senator?

“I was appointed to a residence hall senator at the beginning of the year after having served in Student Government previously as an at-large on the local affairs committee. At the time, I was just starting my time at Iowa State, and I jumped at the opportunity to get involved as soon as I could.”

“Since then, I’ve served as the acting chair of the local affairs committee in between ex-officios. I’ve joined rules committee, which is our internal body where we maintain our rules and keep our structure consistent with our needs as an organization. I was recently appointed by my fellow senators to serve on the special student fees and tuition committee, as I mentioned.”

Why should students vote for you?

“I’m proud to be studying business economics here at the Ivy College of Business because our college is really an exceptional stepping stone from education into the workforce. For me though, part of that pride in the opportunities our college provides means continuing to push the bounds of student success. It means creating opportunities for student organizations, which otherwise might not be able to exist. It means advocating for fair policy and curriculum. It means championing transparency by showing students what their Student Government does every day.”

“At the end of the day, that’s why I’m running to represent Ivy in our Student Government senate: to create more opportunities for student input in our college, our campus and in our Student Government. I hope you’ll see fit to support me, and I hope you’ll vote on March 7-8.”