The United Residents Off Campus (UROC) has six candidates running for ten seats in the Student Government Senate.

The candidates for this year’s election are:

• Sen. Paige Bailey, a sophomore in political science.
• Sen. Srishti Nandal, a sophomore studying data science.
• Sen. Jake Snyder, a senior with a double major in public relations and communication studies.
• Sen. Lauren Neal, a junior studying community and regional planning.
• Sen. Claire Hartley, a sophomore in political science.
• Sen. Abhiraj Agarwal, a sophomore in supply chain management. 

In 2024, 1,431 UROC students voted in the Student Government election. 

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 March 4-5, and ballots will be emailed to students’ Iowa State email addresses.

The following interviews with the candidates were conducted by email. Agarwal did not respond to the Daily’s several requests for an interview.

What are your qualifications for being a senator?

Bailey: “I have been an Off-Campus senator for this last term and an LAS Ambassador. I have loved representing students and helping foster an exciting environment for current and future students. Before this year, I was Birch floor president and have been a cultural ambassador leader. Because of these experiences, I have realized that I love meeting new people and helping find solutions. I also understand the commitments it takes to be a senator and am happy to follow through with them.”

Nandal: “I’m currently an Off-Campus Residence Senator and serve on the IDEA Committee in Student Government. I’m also an LAS Ambassador, working with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ recruitment team, and as an international student first-year experience leader, I help international students transition to Iowa State through my work with ISSO. Beyond that, I’ve served on IRHA as an at-large member and was the vice president of my Hall Council during my freshman year, which gave me experience in student representation and community building. Through all these roles, I’ve worked with students from diverse backgrounds, advocated for their concerns, and collaborated with different organizations to bring real changes.”

Snyder: “I think my qualifications for being a senator are my experience in leadership roles and my campus knowledge. I have been involved with various leadership organizations like IRHA and student government for as long as I have been at Iowa State, and between two years of dorm living and one year of off-campus living, I think that I strike the right balance between incoming students, and students that have been cyclones for a while.”

Neal: “My qualifications for being a Senator are that I have already served as an Off-Campus (UROC) senator, I am currently the acting secretary of United Residents of Off-Campus (UROC), and most importantly, I am dedicated to improving the experiences of my fellow students.”

Hartley: “Being qualified for a role is not entirely reliant on experience; Though, I do believe that involvement is vital for a senator to understand the views of their constituents. However, there needs to be a certain level of commitment and passion brought into this position. I strongly believe in proper representation, advocacy, and inclusion. I am part of the Christina Hixson Opportunity Award program, serve as the Hixson Student Board Secretary, and will be a first-year peer mentor next year. My experiences as a Hixson Scholar so far have taught me many valuable lessons that are applicable to this senator position.”

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

Bailey: “As a student going on my second year living off campus, I understand the unique challenges we face, including transportation, housing quality/affordability, and the challenge of meeting and genuinely connecting with those on campus. While CyRide is terrific, I will advocate for expanding routes and better clarifying schedules to suit off-campus students, ensuring that public transportation is accessible and convenient. Quality of housing is another issue. Many apartments near campus do not care for their properties or address students’ needs. Thus, I will be a voice for students who are unsure who to turn to, hoping to improve the quality of apartments. Additionally, being engaged with campus life is difficult. I will advocate for more events for off-campus students to interact with one another and better support systems to help students who live off-campus!”

Nandal: “As someone who lives off-campus and serves as an Off-Campus Residence senator, I know firsthand the challenges that come with it. One of the most significant issues is transportation, especially late at night if you don’t have a car. CyRide’s Moonlight Express helps, but we can expand and improve awareness of the service to ensure students feel safer and have more reliable options at night. Another issue is finding a roommate. Right now, a lot of students rely on Facebook groups or Snapchat, which isn’t the most secure or effective way to find someone to live with. Lastly, I want to continue working on campus diversity to ensure every student feels included and supported at Iowa State. Whether it’s through student resources or just making sure everyone’s voice is heard, I want to push for an environment where all students feel like they belong.”

Snyder: “In my opinion, the most serious issue facing Off-campus residents is a lack of knowledge about on-campus events. it can be really hard to filter what is actually good information through all the noise, and I aim to continue my efforts to spread that around through my continued involvement with our PR committee, where we spread information about clubs, campus events, and student government sponsored activities through our socials page.”

Neal: “From what I’ve heard from off-campus students, some of the biggest issues facing my constituents are access to campus resources and safety both on and off campus.  To address these issues, I would like to work with Off-Campus Student Support to create more events geared toward bringing together off-campus students with campus life and establish a broad database of information and resources related to living independently and off campus. As for safety, there is a lot of work that can be done to improve student safety, and that work begins with effective engagement and communication with ISUPD, Cyride, SafeRide, and other campus-affiliated resources.”

Hartley: “Off-campus students face many unique challenges, and one of my main goals is to bridge the divide between them and the Student Government. Many off-campus students feel a disconnection between their community and campus life. I will offer myself as an open line of communication between the student body and the Senate, especially for off-campus students, ensuring that all voices are heard and respected. I want off-campus students to be as informed about on-campus resources as possible. I want to ensure they are well-informed and aware of vital campus resources, like the Student Success Center, ISU Therapy Services, and the ISU SHOP. In addition, I want to develop a new way for all students, off-campus specifically, to be informed on other club and organization events around campus.”

Why should students vote for you? 

Bailey: “Students should vote for me because I am committed to advocating for your needs with transparency and action. I enjoy meeting people and working through problems, especially for those who live off campus and often feel unheard. I want to ensure that solutions are promptly pursued and also just give students easy access to more opportunities!”

Nandal: “I care about making real, practical changes that improve students’ experiences. Whether it’s fixing off-campus transportation gaps, creating better housing resources, or pushing for a more inclusive campus, I’m here to make sure your concerns are heard and acted on. If re-elected, I’ll keep working to find solutions that make life easier for off-campus students and ensure every student feels supported at Iowa State. I want to continue working on initiatives that matter to students, and I’d love your support to keep doing that.”

Snyder: “Because I’m nice (no but really). I think that I deserve student votes because I represent a variety of student voices: I am on a sports club; I live off campus; I talk to tons of people, so I have the knowledge to know what people want; I think that because my interests span such a wide base, I can best represent my constituency.”

Neal: “As an off-campus student, I understand just how easy it is to feel disconnected from campus life, and I am therefore dedicating my time to working to better connect off-campus students to on-campus resources and events, as well as with the greater Ames community.”

Hartley: “My vision for our Student Government is transparency, inclusivity, and action. I want to support a government that listens to students, values their input, and works relentlessly to support their needs. My fellow students should vote for me because I am dedicated to a Student Government that responds to students and engages with them meaningfully.”

What role(s) have you held in Student Government and when? 

Bailey: “This past year I joined Student Government as an Off-Campus senator. I also have been a part of the Rules Committee.”

Nandal: “I have served as an Off-Campus Residence senator and a member of the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Committee. Currently, I am working on initiatives to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for all students.”

Snyder: “I am currently a UROC senator, with a position as Content Coordinator on our PR team. I have held these positions for the past cycle.”

Neal: “In student government, I have been a UROC senator since I was appointed in October 2024 and became a member of the Local Affairs Committee at the beginning of the Spring 2025 semester.”

Hartley: “I am a current on-campus or Inter-Residence Hall Association senator, representing students in each of ISU’s dormitories. I have really enjoyed this experience; I feel very connected to the community I live in and am excited to continue representing in that vein.”

Why do you want to return to Student Government, and what are you most proud of during your time in Student Government? 

Bailey: “I have loved my time in Student Government. It has been so exciting to learn all the opportunities available to me, and I have loved the opportunity to help make those accessible to other students as well. Since I joined later in the semester, I have had more of an opportunity to see all the good things that are being implemented, but I am excited for the opportunity to contribute more directly in the future. We are currently working on making UROC a more active constituency, and I am excited to implement more events.”

Nandal: “I want to continue in Student Government because I believe in creating meaningful change and ensuring that student voices especially those from underrepresented students are heard and valued. My work in IDEA committee has shown me the impact that advocacy can have, and I want to build on that momentum to push for stronger community, better off-campus student support at Iowa State. One of the things I’m most proud of is my work on the IDEA committee, ensuring students from all backgrounds feel welcomed and supported. Whether it’s increasing accessibility to resources, or collaborating with different student organizations, I’ve seen firsthand how important representation is. I’m excited to continue this work and expand on any progress we’ve made.”

Snyder: “I want to come back to Student Government because I want to continue the work that I have done on our social networks; we have had statistical increases in all of our platforms under my tenure as a member of the PR committee, and I am really proud of the work we have done to make our brand cohesive. If you check our Instagram page (shameless plug @isustugov), and scroll back down a bit on our page, you can see clearly where our work began.”

Neal: “I want to return to Student Government because, while I haven’t had the privilege to serve a full term, I know the impact our decisions as senators have on the student body, and I believe I have much more to contribute to improving experiences for students. What I am most proud of during my time in Student Government is how much more I’ve been able to connect with my fellow students and the knowledge I’ve learned because of it, which I can then take and put into action.”

Hartley: “A critical responsibility of the Student Government is the effective use of student funds. I would like to return to Student Government to ensure that every dollar spent reflects the needs and desires of the student body and the constituents I represent. Throughout my time in Student Government, I have worked on the Senate Rules Committee, revising our governing by-laws to ensure proper standards. This has been an invaluable learning experience, and I’m committed to furthering this role into my next position.”