Khushi Patel, a freshman in Pre-Business, is the only candidate on the ballot for the 2022 Student Government elections to represent Frederiksen Court.

Why are you interested in Student Government?

I was a part of student government in high school, and I want to be in a leadership position. I think that is really cool and interesting to do. Also, not a lot of students know what’s going on in student government. 

Why do you think you’re qualified for this position?

I’ve been involved in a lot of leadership roles in the past. Also, I’m very interested in government outside of student government such as the Iowa government.

How do you plan to represent your constituents?

I would want to get more information from each of the residents to see how they feel about issues at Freddy Court. One of my plans is to send out flyers to each apartment and get in contact with them. I want to talk about everything people feel about Freddy Court, and I think hearing what people are thinking would be really interesting.

What are some of the most important issues that need to be addressed in the next year?

I do think that scholarships should be more available. I also believe that the OneApp, from my prior experiences with that, is very complicated. I think we should try to better that and help students with that. Also, one more thing: parking lots I see a lot of issues with. Those are things that I would want to work on and see what Iowa State students would see as an issue.

What goals would you have as Senator?

I think I would like to get in contact with other students at Iowa State. If they have questions or if they have anything they would like to improve on, I would like to be able to connect with someone to try and get that done. I think a lot of clubs don’t know that they can get funds for their organizations from the Iowa State Student Government, and it would be really nice to give those organizations a way to get funds. 

How do you plan on engaging with the student body?

Flyers. I’ve noticed there’s flyers everywhere, but I haven’t seen a single flyer that talks about Student Government or the Student Government elections and process. The process for Student Government elections is all online, so I think flyers would be a good way to promote it. 

Why do you think it’s important for LAS to have a voice in the student government?

Well, Freddy Court has a lot of students there, and they can stay there until two years after [they graduate]. There is a hefty population of people there, and they come to classes every day. It’s an equal representation of everyone at Iowa State; they definitely get a voice like UROC and RHA.

What do you want to say to your constituents or the student body?

If people have questions or concerns for me, they can always reach out to me at my email or phone number.

The Student Government elections will take place on March 1 and 2. Ballots will be emailed to students’ Iowa State email addresses.