Dan Breitbarth: Presidential candidate; two years in GSB

Megan Sweere: Vice presidential candidate; a year and a half in GSB

Overcrowding

Breitbarth and Sweere’s main concern is addressing overcrowding at Iowa State University and improving overall infrastructure on campus. This includes improving parking on campus, finding a way to make CyRide more efficient and dealing with the issue of bike and pedestrian safety. The candidates also plan to address the issues in the Memorial Union by expanding the dining area seating.

“The biggest issue is lunchtime,” Sweere said. “That’s when you notice overcrowding, especially in the dining centers.”

Sweere said the two hope to contact student organizations and allow them to sell food on campus. This would not only address crowding in dining centers, but allow organizations to fundraise.

Veishea

Breitbarth and Sweere believe Iowa State has suffered a loss and hope to keep the spirit of Veishea alive. Sweere said although the event will not come back in the full sense, they are looking for a way for the entire student body to come together.

One plan already in motion is Cyclone Market, which is taking place April 11. The event is an opportunity for student organizations to sell goods and raise funds that would have normally been earned during Veishea. Breitbarth said the candidates are currently working with the College of Business on an event to happen in the spring, which will eventually expand to an inter-college event.

Scheduling fees

Last year, ISU students paid more than $179,000 in schedule change fees. The candidates haven’t discussed this issue at length, but do see it as a problem. Breitbarth said they are not focusing on administration’s needs but want to make sure Iowa State is in its best state on all fronts. They are willing to look into the issue if there is a demand from the students for it.

“If it’s something students want, we’re going to do it regardless of what it is,” Breitbarth said.

Library 160

The candidates said they hear that Library 160 is a complaint for many students and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. They do not plan on eliminating the class, but reconstructing it instead. Breitbarth said the library is a resource for students and they want to make sure students understand these resources are available.

Amanda Loomis: Presidential candidate; two years in GSB.

Kathryn Leidahl: Vice presidential candidate; one year in GSB.

Overcrowding

Loomis and Leidahl plan on focusing on “Band-Aid” fixes, or achieve short-term goals until more long-term solutions are found, such as renovations to the Memorial Union or construction of new residential halls. These short-term goals include opening student office space in the basement of the Memorial Union and improving overall seating in dining areas.

The candidates also wish to act as a bridge between administration and the students by keeping them informed of long-term improvements that will be happening at Iowa State.

“We wanted to be sure that freshmen and transfer students do not feel the brunt of that burden,” Loomis said of enrollment growth. “We want to make sure they feel welcome.”

Veishea 

The GSB candidates hope to bring back an overarching university-wide event to Iowa State and hope to unify the university. Loomis and Leidahl have been working with former Veishea executives and university leadership to come up with ideas on what they can do to create a similar event. However, they are also keeping issues in mind when considering the idea. Loomis said they are being careful about what they plan for this campus-wide event because rioting is still a major issue.

“Safety is our first priority,” Loomis said. “We have to make sure we are adapting and improving and changing, while addressing those issues.”

Scheduling fees

Loomis and Leidahl said they want to be sure they are stretching student dollars as far as they go and cut the over $179,000 students pay a year. The candidates have met with the registrar on this issue and have discovered different avenues that can be taken. One change would be to incorporate the price of adding and dropping a class into fees students pay with their tuition. Another solution is to allocate those funds needed from elsewhere.

Library 160

“I don’t think students are getting the most of what they can from it,” Loomis said.

Loomis and Leidal’s solution to this issue would be to incorporate topics into introductory classes. Another option would be to incorporate topics into the MyState app, in order to make campus more technologically advanced.