Michaud to serve as Student Senate president

IMAN ALRASHID Copy Editor

During the last week of March, the Madison College Student Senate held its election for the 2023-2024 school year. The online vote lasted a week as 206 students cast votes for both officers and general senators.

Jovhany Michaud, a current Student Senator who has served as the chair of the racial equity committee, was selected as president.

There were four vice president roles on the ballot as well. Kai Brito was elected vice president of administration and finance. Theo Shulman was selected as vice president of public relations. Precilia Dahn was chosen as vice president of team development. Margaret Joof was elected as vice president of legislative affairs.

Four students were elected to represent regional campuses. Danny Her will serve as the Goodman South senator, Inez Pickelsimer as the Fort Atkinson senator, Annette Crowder as the Portage senator and Staci Brunner as the Reedsburg senator.

Students selected to serve as general senators were: Sierra Brunner, Matthew Henning, Michael Malone, Shin Thant Maung Maung, Ogaga Okumagba, Tina Owens, Rachelle Sappington, Ali Soumano, Cameron Wilkin and Katrina Willis.

Ellie Rome, Student Senate advisor at Madison College, conveyed the significance of actively participating in the Student Senate. Serving as a platform where students’ voices are amplified and heard, the student senate offers a unique opportunity to engage in college matters that impact thousands of fellow students. Beyond the chance to work on critical issues, being a part of the student senate allows students to play an influential role in shaping their college experience and contributing to meaningful change.

“The Student Senate really makes a difference,” Rome added.

Rome said voter participation in the election turned out to be disappointingly low. An email about the Madison College Student Senate election was sent to more than 11,000 students, but only 1.7% of the recipients cast their votes. According to Rome, the students running in the Student Senate election put in a commendable effort to raise awareness about their candidacies. They engaged in various promotional activities, such as tabling and creating flyers to spread the word about their participation in the election. Rome believes that the candidates made significant efforts to generate awareness about their campaign and create interest among the student body.

And still, with all these efforts, the turnout present was low.

“The low turnout doesn’t affect the students who are elected,” Rome said.

In addition to the Student Senate election, the ballot included a referendum asking to increase the fees students pay to support the college’s fitness center. Specifically, the referendum asked to increase the fee by 25 cents per degree credit for the upcoming school year and by 3% in following years.

“When we have a referendum, our students are asked to decide something about student fees, which is very

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During the recent Student Senate meeting, one of the significant topics of discussion was the ballot question regarding the potential increase in the fitness center fee.

The fitness center had requested additional funding, and the Senate deliberated on the potential outcomes of the fee not being increased. They considered the decisions that would need to be made in that scenario, as well as the possibilities that could arise with the additional funds. Additionally, the Senate addressed any questions from students regarding the promotion of the referendum.

In the end, the Student Senate unanimously voted to support the outcome of the referendum, which was 69% in favor of the fee increase and 31% against, Rome said.

The swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected members of the Student Senate will be held on Thursday, May 4, from 4:30-6 p.m. The ceremony will take place at Truax Campus, Room D1630, and is an opportunity to welcome the incoming senate members.

What got everybody’s attention were the two speakers who graduated from the program.

“I truly believe the most important voice is the voice of our students,” said Reinart when introducing the graduate panel. “The most important voices are Ian and Aaron. “

Ian Bowers talked about his path from incarceration to project manager at Findorff, the construction company.

While in prison, he began an apprentice program through Madison College, a pilot program called the Construction and Remodeling Techniques program.