Student Government Speaker Alex Cecil, a senior in agronomy, and Vice Speaker Hannah Everhart, a senior in agricultural communication, are the two candidates running for the two College of Agricultural Life and Sciences (CALS) seats in the Senate.
In 2023, 474 CALS students had no balloted candidates and elected two candidates by way of write-in votes. Everhart was one of those elected and finished first among 237 write-in votes with 57. Cecil currently serves as a senator representing the United Residents Off-Campus (UROC) constituency.
Student Government is a student organization that exists to serve and represent all students, according to the student organization database. They annually distribute $2.6 million in student fee revenue to organizations on campus and in Story County.
The Student Government elections will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, and ballots will be emailed to students’ Iowa State email addresses.
The following interviews with Cecil and Everhart were conducted by email:
What are your qualifications for being a Senator?
Cecil: “I have been a senator for the last 2 years and had been on the Supreme Court for 3 years before that, I am currently the longest-serving member of student government and have spent every year here working to help improve student life on and off campus”
Everhart: “As far as my qualifications are concerned, I currently serve as one of the CALS senators and the Vice-Speaker of the Senate. Those positions aside, I have a passion for helping people and influencing positive change on campus. I have a multitude of different project ideas that I would love to see come to fruition, and student government allows me to do those!”
What are the most significant issues facing your constituents, and how will you address them?
Cecil: “The most significant issue facing CALS students in my opinion is the availability of textbooks, I hope to work on pushing more OERs to help reduce costs for students in courses and increase access to information”
Everhart: “I would say that one of the most significant issues my constituents face is not having adequate knowledge of the resources available to them. There are several resources on campus that students can use, such as student legal services, but the publicity for those resources is not doing the job. During the fall semester, prior to being elected as Vice-Speaker of the Senate, I had the opportunity to serve on the Public Relations Committee and within my next term I’d love to rejoin the PR committee if not elected to a leadership position. The visibility of resources on campus is extremely important, but also the visibility of student government and what we do needs to be increased.”
Why should students vote for you?
Cecil: “I feel students should vote for me because I have their interests as my drive. I am here to help all students, if CALS students feel I should work on anything specific I will work on that, it is not my ideas that I should pursue but the ideas of the students I represent”
Everhart: “Overall, Students within CALS should vote for me because I’m a change driven person with a passion for agriculture and service. I have always been told that I am very welcoming and personable as well as driven and easy to work with.”
Why do you want to return to Student Government and what are you most proud of during your time in Student Government?
Cecil: “I want to return because I feel I still have plenty to do for the student body.”
Everhart: “I decided to rerun for my position because I love being a voice for the students. I believe that through collaboration we are able to make a difference on Iowa State’s campus. I’d say I’m most proud of my willingness to adapt this year. We’ve faced tremendous changes throughout the entirety of this term and being able to adapt and overcome those has been something that I’ve been able to easily navigate.”
