Student senate is the voice of the student body, implements many programs and changes around campus, and controls the money allocated to them from student fees; however many students don’t know anything about it. Now’s the time to read up, because elections are around the corner and this year, there is more competition than expected.
With four campaigns, these coalitions are working harder than ever to create platforms that suit student needs. One KU is a coalition with an especially unique platform of bringing Project Callisto to KU. This is an online database were survivors of sexual assault can report their story. If a survivor decides to add the name of the perpetrator, there is a system that will pair them with anyone who has entered the same name. This would allow the survivors to decide whether they’d like to take further legal action. Other platforms include an Writing Center for international students, an iClicker rental program, an ROTC priority enrollment, and many more.
Another coalition is Onward, which would work towards making KU a wet campus, parking more accessible, and improving/expanding programs to create a healthier and safe campus. Additionally, Onward wants to start an annual music festival. They hope this tradition would help the entire student body unite in ways they couldn’t before.
TrueKU is all about diversity, success, and accessibility. They will continue working to make KU a better place for marginalized people. A point brought up during the interview was how nearly every member in the senate is part of Greek Life, leaving us to question why leadership is coming from only 20% of the student body. This coalition would work to reach out to all groups of people in an attempt to achieve unity and inclusion.
Lastly, KUnited is a coalition rooted in the four pillars of diversity and inclusion, advocacy, and governance. They will work to make campus more sustainable, safe and accepting, create a graduate student orientation and student success center, and reduce college costs.
Elections will take place on April 12th at 6:00 am to April 13th at 4:00 pm. You can either vote at polling stations around campus or online at https://rockchalkcentral.ku.edu.