By Maddy Majewski, Abigail Turner, Abbi Pflum & Kaylee Homerding
This past week, students had the opportunity to vote on student government positions at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. Through the Student Government Association and Student Court, students were able to cast a vote for the students running in the election. Each candidate had a different approach when it came to how they wanted to present themselves and their campaign. 
SGA Instagram Post. Photo Credit: SGA and Maddy Majewski
Although this is an election that occurs every year, not many students are informed about the elections and who is running. UWGB student Karsten Cowan voted in the election and advised others to do the same. “Everyone that can vote should vote in these elections. Although they are not as well known, they are very important to let your voice be heard.” Cowan expressed how important she thought these elections were and how the outcome would affect all of the students at UWGB. “These elections are very important because the people that are in these positions are representing us as students. They work hard to make sure that all students are being heard, and making sure that your needs are being represented is important,” Cowan said.
The candidates that won the Presidential and Vice-Presidential positions were Jasmine Brown and Alex Langreck, respectively. Jasmine is a Junior majoring in History, and Alex is also a Junior majoring in Business Administration. Their platform was based on the following views that they will uphold:
- Advocating for the needs of student workers
- Improving housing conditions
- Increasing the Eco-University standard
- Providing legal counsel to students
- Offering more or better mental health care options
Vice President Alex Langreck shared, “I bring a unique agreeable personality while maintaining a hard-working attitude.” Langreck has an extensive legislative history during his time as a Senator and as the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee Chair. More so, he has written the Constitution for the University Student Government Association and written numerous other resolutions and amendments. Also, through completing Constitutional Review, which is an annual constitution and bylaws review, Langreck has been versed with information and procedures that make him an asset to the Student Government Association.
Langreck would like to get the Student Workers’ Rights Committee off the ground during his time in office. “This committee will be an effective tool in communication to faculty and administration on the needs and desires of student workers across campus,” Langreck explained. “I further plan to work on establishing Student Legal Services. This is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to meet with a low-cost, knowledgeable attorney for any legal counseling that they would desire. I also plan to continue advocating for the mental health of students through the Wellness Center on campus,” Langreck implored.
The election is put on by the students on Student Court. Madigan Fuhrman, a justice on Student Court, mentioned, “My favorite part of planning the election was probably the debate. I enjoyed being able to see all the candidates discuss their views and platforms, as well as appropriately respond to each other.” Planning an election is not an easy task, especially if the members planning it have little experience being on Student Court. Fuhrman states, “The most difficult part of crafting the election was the communication. A lot of us on the court is very new, with our Chief Justice Isabella being in it the longest (starting last semester). That meant that the process was a bit confusing and new to all of us, and we had to figure out how to communicate with each other to get what we needed to be done.” Although this is the case, they were able to create a functioning and successful election. “The turnout for the election was 226 total votes. Based on what I’ve heard about the previous elections, this was more than last year but is not the highest turnout for an election,” Fuhrman added.
The advice Langreck gave to students trying to join student government was, “Just apply! It is a very rewarding organization. If you are trying to run for a leadership position, become versed with the Constitution and work hard to campaign yourself to a variety of student organizations around campus.”
