Meet the candidates

Hundreds of posters, flyers and Facebook invitations have flooded Drake’s campus this past week. It is just another sign that Student Senate Executive elections are quickly approaching. The elections for the Executive Officers starts Monday, Feb. 28 at midnight and ends on Tuesday, March 1 at 11:59 p.m. The elections will fill three positions for next year—student body president, vice president of student life and vice president of student activities.

Candidates for student body president include current Vice President of Student Activities, Greg Larson, and Student Body Treasurer Nathan Bleadorn.

Two candidates are seeking the vice president of student activities position, the office currently held by Greg Larson. The vice president of student activities is the chair of Drake’s Student Activities Board. The two candidates are Jessica Hamilton, the current SAB campus impact co-chair, and Michael Riebel, the current SAB bands committee co-chair and the technology liaison for Student Senate.

There are three candidates vying for the vice president of student life position, all three of which are current senators. Community Outreach Liaison Amanda Laurent, Buildings and Grounds Liaison Matt Van Hoeck and Organizational Senator Stephen Slade are the candidates.
Students can vote on blueView under the Campus Life tab beginning Monday. If a candidate does not reach the 50 percent plus one vote requirement, there will be a run-off election the following week. Results will be announced at midnight on Wednesday. All Drake University students are eligible to vote.

Candidates for Student Body President

Greg Larson
Junior
From Bismarck, ND
Finance/Marketing

This year Student Senate has made large strides in improving communication and representation of Drake students. I’ll continue to encourage this through the newly formed monthly SAB and Student Senate Bulldog Brief emailed to every undergraduate student. It is my primary responsibility to be available and attentive to what students care about and need from their senators and to communicate that to those who need to hear it most.

Nathan Bleadorn
Sophomore
From Waverly, IA
Marketing/Management

I am confident I’ll be a proactive representative of the student body. While I look forward to furthering my knowledge, I feel I have a sufficient understanding of how the university operates and have built positive relationships with students, faculty and staff. One of my priorities is to improve communication and collaboration among students, organizations and Student Senate. Additionally, I will encourage senators to work on projects outside of their own roles.

Candidates for VP Student Activities

Jessica Hamilton
Sophomore
From North Aurora, IL
Marketing/Management

My passion for student programming motivated me to run. I am always excited to work with others and make a difference in the community.  In order to establish a strong sense of community throughout campus, we first need to maintain a welcoming atmosphere for first years. I will increase community by hosting larger events involving campus organizations, further relationships with Drake Athletics and promote consistent weekend programming.

Michael Riebel
Sophomore
From Bloomington, MN
Accounting

I would like to change how SAB is viewed and increase participation in SAB events and activities. I’d also like to work more closely with other organizations to combine resources to offer a greater variety and more successful events. The Vice President of Student Activities must know how SAB functions and how Student Senate is organized and functions. My work with both gives me the knowledge and experience to be successful as Vice President of SAB.

Candidates for VP Student Life

Amanda Laurent
Sophomore
From Minnetonka, MN
Public Relations

I have the experience and the passion to work towards your goals. I pride myself as being a hardworking, friendly person and I believe this accessibility is exactly what Drake students need in a Vice President. I want to be “part of the solution” at Drake, helping our university progress toward a better future. The one change I would make to this position would be to hold each and every senator more accountable for their responsibilities.

Matthew Van Hoeck
Sophomore
From Hiawatha, IA
LPS/Environmental Policy

I am unique for this position because this year on Senate I held a new position, Buildings and Grounds Liaison. I was able to take this position and define it how I saw would be most beneficial to students. My motivation for running for Vice President of Student Life is first, to have the joy of being able to represent you, and second, to be in a position in which I can help promote purposeful activities within senate and the student body.

Stephen Slade
Sophomore
From Loen, IA
Bio/Neuroscience

I would like to create a more unified campus, make students more aware of events and organizational opportunities and to ultimately increase attendance at those events. I would like to see stronger encouragement for senators to attend events and consider publicly posting which events they do attend to show support. By being involved in a variety of organizations myself, I feel like I can more than adequately represent diverse groups around campus.