Greetings Cyclones,

Congratulations and welcome to Iowa State University! My name is Julian Neely, and I am currently serving as the Student Body President for the 2018-2019 academic year.

You have made the initial step into your college experience. Now it is time to fully engage and indulge into your Iowa State adventure! We provide more than 850 student clubs and organizations, undergraduate research opportunities, student leadership opportunities and a wide array of academic courses. However, the wonderful thing about college is that it is all in your hands. You are empowered with the opportunity to structure your own path.

As a representative of Student Government, I would like to inform you that we are a resource for you and your organizations. Our main responsibility is to address your concerns, advocate on your behalf and provide you with the resources to be successful during your time here. Please utilize us as a resource to vocalize your ideas and to improve our community to better serve our students. Above all, hold us accountable to the responsibilities that are assigned to us to ensure that we are supporting you as best we can.

It is important to build relationships with student representatives because they were elected to serve you and to make decisions on your behalf. Please feel free to attend our Senate meetings every Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Campanile room. In addition, I ask that you take time to check out our website, stugov.iastate.edu, to meet the students that make up Student Government and the initiatives that we are tackling. Also, there are opportunities for you all to be involved with some of these initiatives.

Let’s make this year an awesome year! I challenge you to learn and embrace the principles of community to make our campus a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all students. It is important to be open-minded throughout your time at Iowa State because we are a diverse campus with students, faculty and administrators from various cultural backgrounds and identities. Be respectful and appreciate the beauty within differences that we all hold!

Enjoy your time here! Take time to meet new people, enjoy the company of friends and make memories that you all can talk about when you all get old. Remember college is a time to learn about yourself and grow. It is important to surround yourself with positive, supportive and empowering individuals who serve as a source of motivation to encourage you to finish the journey that you have initially started. I hope that your experience at Iowa State University is rewarding and fulfilling!

Best regards,

Julian D. Neely

Student Body President