The Daily caught up with three major figures of Iowa State Student Government, President Jennifer Holliday, Chief Justice Charles Taylor and Graduate and Professional Student Senator Eddie Mahoney, to tell more about what Student Government is and how it works to represent the student body.
What is Student Government?
Student Government is the organization that represents all of the students at Iowa State. It works with other student organizations, Iowa State administration, the Ames City Council, state legislatures and the Board of Regents to pass initiatives, set policies and give the students a voice.
The executive branch comprises the president, vice president and various cabinet members. Their main role in representing the student body involves being the voice for students to share feedback with Iowa State administration and faculty.
Executive branch members attend meetings with ISU administration and represent the students. The executive ensures that what they say at these meetings is accurate to what most students are looking for. This branch focuses more on policy and works with faculty and administration to achieve that.
“We are here to create a better campus culture, a better campus environment and, if students come to us with issues, we are here to try and help find solutions to them in one way or another,” said Holliday, a senior in agricultural studies.
The legislative branch is composed of senators from each college at Iowa State, with senators also representing students in residence halls, students off-campus and the Panhellenic Council.
The legislative branch works the closest with students to create initiatives, pass bills such as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and confirm positions in Student Government. The Senate brings concerns upwards while using its budget of $3.1 million to help pass such initiatives.
”The biggest thing I want to achieve is to set up the Student Government running in an efficient way, cutting down a lot of red tape internally so we can flourish more outwardly,” said Mahoney, a graduate student in computer science.
The judicial branch, the smallest branch of government, consists of the chief justice and the eight associate justices. Just like the Supreme Court at the federal level, their job is to interpret bills and initiatives in pursuance of the constitution of Student Government at Iowa State.
“It has turned out to be realistically as interesting as a Supreme Court should be for Student Government as opposed to the Supreme Court that we hear in media and news,” said Taylor, a senior in physics.
