Cole Staudt, senior in political science and public relations, and Cody West, sophomore in biology, are hoping to make Iowa State great with your vote for Student Government executive office.

Both said they have experience working with students and administration and have specific plans to make Iowa State great.

Staudt, who is running for the presidency, was a member of Inter-Residence Hall Association for two years before joining Student Government.

He has had a few different positions within IRHA, including director of finance, director of IT and vice president for a semester. He has been in the Student Government Senate for a year and serves on the finance committee. Being on IRHA has given him a unique perspective, he said.

“It really trained me on how to work with administrators and students, and to [bring together] those two differing points of view,” Staudt said.

Cody West, the vice presidential candidate, is a senator in Student Government who represents the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He started on Freshmen Council and is currently on the public relations and rules committee of Student Government.

“[I am just] wanting to improve that atmosphere around you, making it the best experience as possible,” West said. “It’s something I can do to give back to the university.”

Staudt and West believe there are things at Iowa State they can improve.

“There are a lot of issues on campus that we think we can solve,” Staudt said.

One of those issues is the university’s Dead Week policy. Staudt and West believe Iowa State needs to adopt a new policy that enables students to be more successful during Finals Week. That starts when final projects are due. The candidates are calling for no homework, quizzes, tests and projects due after the Wednesday of Dead Week.

The ideal policy for them would also require no class on that Thursday and Friday and encourage teachers to hold review sessions during normal class periods. Staudt and West also want students to have 24-hour access to the library, which currently keeps normal hours during Dead Week.

Staudt and West said 90 percent of students they talked to said they have tests, homework, etc. due on the Thursday and Friday of Dead Week.

“We are taking the initiative to show administration and faculty how big of an issue this really is,” Staudt said.

A drug and alcohol amnesty policy is also a big platform for the Staudt and West campaign.

“[We want a policy where] you can make sure if someone is in need of help, or you yourself is in need of help, you can call the authorities and get that help and you don’t have to worry about disciplinary action against you,” West said.

West said it is simply just to keep ISU students safe.

The reformation of printing credits is a policy the campaign wants to accomplish. The cost of credits to print is different in just about every building on campus. They want a more equitable system across campus.

“We are starting to see that movement already [within administration], so it’s something we think we can accomplish pretty quickly,” Staudt said.

The candidates would also work on simplifying funding for different student organizations and groups. They want to create an excellence fund that would fund any student or group that has a great idea and needs funding.

They would still have to be approved by Student Government but would not have to jump through as many hoops and meet a list of criteria to be eligible for funding.

Both Staudt and West have a lot of experience leading, working with students and administration. Through their various leadership positions, they believe they have the knowledge and experience to get things done and improve students’ lives at Iowa State.

They plan to reach out to as many students as possible throughout the month, meeting face to face to get the word out.

“We are looking at long-term changes that will actually affect and improve their student experience,” Staudt said. “We have the experience to get things done.”

You can read more about the candidates on their website, www.staudtwest.com, or their Facebook page Staudt-West.