Lisa Stephan, student success and engagement coach, said the success coaches have been working to reinvigorate the idea of student government on campus.

“We’re really excited to have the candidates running for a variety of offices in order to engage with the students and the greater Lakeland College community in improving the student experience,” Stephan said.

On March 31, the Student Government Forum took place in the Bradley Theatre and served as an opportunity for the candidates to introduce themselves and their platforms.

A popular topic amongst the candidates was the desire to bridge the communication gap between students and the Lakeland College administration.

“Our main goal is to bring everyone’s voices together,” said Brooke Corrigan, sophomore biology major and candidate for president of the student government association. “We want to be your spokesperson. We want to bridge the pathway between faculty and what is happening on campus. I’m sure you guys have a lot of questions, and our goal is to figure out those answers.”

Corrigan’s running mate, Heather Ross, junior business major, agrees.

“With my broad interest in business and the humanities, I feel strongly qualified to bridge the gaps between the business of the school and the need to continue to have a strong humanities program,” Ross said.

The candidates for vice president of academic affairs, Christian Gillaspie, sophomore business major, and Jacque Roerdink, junior sociology major, were equally concerned with the disconnect between the administration and the Lakeland College community concerning the recent budget cuts.

“With the faculty turnover and classes being affected, I felt there was a lack of communication between the governing bodies of Lakeland College and the students,” Gillaspie said.

Through his involvement with aviation, Gillaspie said he has experience helping smaller organizations work with the government while still having their voices heard.

Roerdink is majoring in sociology with a minor in political science. Both programs were recently discontinued by Lakeland College.

“If you’re looking for somebody to represent the campus who is being affected by all the changes, I’m your girl,” Roerdink said. “I still love my school. I do think there is a communication gap there, but I have spoken to (President of Lakeland College) Dan Eck and (Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College) Meg Albrinck, and I know the reasons for what they did.”

Roerdink is also passionate about introducing more diverse convocations that represent all individuals in the student body.

Nathan Miller, sophomore psychology major, and Joseph Legate, sophomore accounting major, who are running for president and vice president, respectively, desire to “get classes back that everyone likes” and improve residential life by introducing new appliances and ensuring broken ones are repaired quickly.

Alister Kohls, junior sociology major, is focusing on improving the experience of other students who are still working toward a sociology degree despite the program being cut.

“I have a lot of concern with the academics in my department, and I’m very interested in progressing it for the better and helping students improve in their academics and graduate,” Kohls said. “There are low graduation numbers, and I want to see those raised.”

Voting will take place April 7-10 in the Campus Center with winners being announced April 13.

Lakeland College 2015-16 Student Government Association Candidates:

President/Vice President

1. Nathan Miller/Joseph Legate
2. Brooke Corrigan/Heather Ross

Vice President of Academic Affairs

1. Christian Gillaspie
2. Jacque Roerdink

Vice President of Budget& Finance

1. Lauren Seifert (Cichocki)
2. Shannon Reagan
3. Brittany Schuh
4. Michael Whitley

Vice President of Public Relations

1.  Vincent Stepney-Willis

Vice President of Student Affairs

1. Nathaniel Cooper
2. Joshuan McNeal
3. Dezmen Morse

Vice President of Student Services

1. Le’Shay Jones

Senator, Business Division

1. Rachel Mututi
2. Jocelyn Yeager

Senator, Creative Arts Division

1. Hussein Gabdille
2. Scott Hayes

Senator, Humanities Division

1. Connor Armstrong

Senator, Social Science Division

1. Quintin Hale
2. Alister (Arielle) Kohls
3. Darrin Pribbernow

Senator, Natural Science Division

Vacant

Senator, Education Division

Vacant

Ticket Submissions:

Student Integration Movement

President:  Brooke Corrigan

Vice President:  Heather Ross

Vice President of Academic Affairs:  Christian Gillaspie

Vice President of Public Relations:  Vincent Stepney-Willis

Vice President of Student Affairs:  Nathaniel Cooper