SGA Presidential Candidate Information 2015-2016

The following information was supplied to the SGA via candidate application packets. In order to avoid the appearance of favoritism, the order of the candidates will be alphabetical by last name for each position.

John Bettger & Marcie Woehl

John will be a 3rd year Mathematics student with a 3.75 GPA.
Marcie will be a 2nd year Liberal Arts student with a 4.0 GPA.

1. What previous leadership experiences or experiences being involved in an organization will this team be able to draw upon for these positions?

John: I have been an SGA Senator since the start of the 2014 school year, taking an active role in meetings and discussions. I have been key member of the BSC's Astronomy Club in both its founding and current status; I enjoy working with the other members to create education as well as entertaining meeting topics and activities. I am a tutor of College Algebra, Trigonometry, Introduction to Logic, Microeconomics, and Ethics at the Sykes Student Success Center. I am a Resident Assistant in Werner Hall. And finally, I am a staff member and contributing writer for The Mystician.

Marcie: I'm pleased to say I've had a variety of leadership experiences throughout my past. I am a 2014 graduate of Mandan High School. While there, I was Art Club president for 2 years, French Club president for 3 years, and principle saxophonist for 3 years. All of these positions required a significant amount of dedication; I was in charge of scheduling and organizing meetings, delegating tasks, recruiting new members, and working with other club officials to put together events. In the case of being principle saxophonist, I worked closely with other principle band members to organize sectionals and make sure the band, as a whole, was running as smoothly as possible.

As for my time here at BSC, I am Treasurer for the BSC Astronomy Club and principle saxophonist in both Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band. As Treasurer, I often work with the President and Vice President to discuss club activities, as well as report club finances to both them and the group. As principle saxophonist, I lead by example to make sure the rest of my section is playing the music to the highest level possible.

2. What do you believe is one of the greatest concerns that BSC students have about being students at BSC?

a) We feel BSC students are concerned about missing out on the experiences of a four-year university. Many classmates and friends of BSC students leave for popular universities such as UND and NDSU, and we feel a lot of students might regret not having made that jump. They may find themselves wondering if they took the easy way out, and we must assure these students that they are  not missing out. Bismarck State College provides a variety of benefits to its students. Such as, degrees through Dickinson and Minot State University, an exemplary faculty devoted to helping its students succeed, and truly being a powerhouse in preparing students choosing a career in the booming oilfield industry. Another benefit is many students are able to stay at home or close to home while attending classes, allowing them to save money.

b) Students are greatly concerned about financial stability, both now and after graduation. We are seeing rising costs of living and ever increasing competition for successful careers. Things are significantly different from the generation of our parents. As young adults in a constantly shifting world, we are faced with a variety of challenges - money is a key player in most. Students want to make sure that their money is going to the right places; we're paying thousands of dollars for this education, we want to make sure it counts.

3. What is something that you would propose as one possible solution for this concern?

a) If students think they are "copping out" by attending BSC, the solution for this "problem" lies in themselves; student have to challenge themselves to see their time here they way they want to. You see, the college experience is a matter of perspective; if you want hard "four year university-esque" classes, take hard classes. Bismarck State College has a variety of classes and teachers who I guarantee will challenge you and do the best to make sure you are prepared for your future (Personal recommendation? Tony Musumba). If you want to make friends and...socialize, by all means do it safely. We've got a great student body here; just strike up a conversation, and it will be no problem making plans for the weekend. Bismarck State College has come a long ways since its founding, and I truly urge students to look past the "two-year college" status and see the great potential those two years have in store.

b) We need to distribute accurate and comprehensive information to students; it is crucial that we provide students the knowledge required to make sound and informed decisions. We would propose supplying students with a guide to scholarships, student loans, budgeting and investment advice, and much more. The current information is fragmented and segregated, so we aim to push for a consolidated resource for students so they can access and use it with little effort or confusion.

4. What are your feelings about....
Academic Advising

We have a great faculty dedicated to helping students; advisers can be critical to a student's success, so it's nice to have such a strong link between the two.

Students should know how easy it is to switch to an adviser of their choice. Students are automatically assigned an adviser at the beginning of their time here, but switching to an adviser that better meets ones needs can make a world of difference! As for further changes, we need to support our advisers with updated information and resources to better help our students with furthering their academic success.

Academic Tutoring

Both of us have first-hand experiences with the tutoring center and can advocate for its effectiveness in helping students study. The tutors all excel at their fields of study and use that knowledge to assist or help teach students with matters they don't quite understand in ways they do understand.

In order to help tutors maximize their assistance, we feel it would be prudent for tutors to access assignment students are getting from their teachers. They should be in frequent contact with teachers so they can pinpoint what issues students may be facing and how to address these difficulties. Furthermore, tutors should be allowed and encouraged to audit past classes so they can closely follow along with the material being taught.

BSC Bookstore

Unfortunately, the Bookstore is currently hidden away in the downstairs of the Student Union building. We're all looking forward to the completed construction to make both the Bookstore and Mystic Java a thriving location for students to gather and interact.

Buildings and Grounds

Trekking from one side of the campus can be tedious at times, but with growth of campus over the years the walk is understandable. Both the buildings and grounds are kept remarkably clean by our custodial staff.

Sadly, there isn't an open lawn or park for students to gather when the weather is nice. We feel like that kind of addition on campus would be a great idea to spruce up the campus grounds as well as provide students a centralized place to hold events or even just study.

Campus Safety and Security

BSC has a campus where students feel safe attending classes; we have a respectful and responsive campus security. It's great that the service is promoted from the minute students are beginning their year so they're aware that they have immediate help if need be.

Mystic Marketplace

The Marketplace is clean and well-designed, navigating the food-serving portion of the cafeteria is easy and there area  variety of options to fit student's dietary needs.

Students have been upset with the Marketplace this year; there have been some changes many students had not agreed with they feel rightly frustrated with the current arrangement. SGA has taken a survey within the student body and are taking steps to improve the situation, but we would encourage more progress in this area.

Student Activities

Though there are a variety of activities taking place weekly around campus, advertisement and attendance to these events can be weak. This is partially due to lack of student interest, but also an insufficient source for students to learn about all the events being held. Club activities and campus-wide activities alike should both be more promoted in efforts to form a more cohesive student body.

Student Housing

BSC is currently adding two new apartment-style dorms on campus; this, however, does not excuse that some of the older dorms are in need of repairs and updates. Residents of these dorms are friendly and respectful, but there is need for a greater sense of community and participation.

5. Why do you love being a BSC Mystic?

John: The teachers at BSC truly are the best. They really do care about the success, participation, and growth of their students. The students are friendly, funny, and open about their lives. Everyone here wishes to make this campus and the world a better place.

Marcie: I can agree with John's sentiment. The professors I've encountered at my time here have been some of the best teachers I've had throughout my learning career. They're all so passionate about their subjects and devoted to the success of their students. I also am grateful for all the people I've met so far; being a BSC Mystic has led to some friendships that I'm sure will be lifelong.

6. What is on your Netflix queue right now?

John: I don't have Netflix. However, I stay caught up on Game of Thrones, Elementary, Sherlock, and Vikings. I also have several YouTube channels that I follow.

Marcie: I don't have Netflix either. When I get the chance, I do enjoy binge watching Parks and Recreation and Cutthroat Kitchen.

Jared Troudt & Maggie Beddow

Jared will be a 2nd year Petroleum Engineering Technology student with a 3.278 GPA
Maggie will be a 2nd year Nursing student.

1. What previous leadership experiences or experiences being involved in an organization will this team be able to draw upon for these positions?

The team of Jared and Maggie previous leadership experiences include Jared being the President of Business Professionals of America and Key Club, while Maggie was an active member of her High School Student Council.

2. What do you believe is one of the greatest concerns that BSC students have about being students at BSC?

The team of Jared and Maggie believe that one of the greatest concerns of BSC students would be the Meal Plan.

3. What is something that you would propose as one possible solution for this concern?

The team of Jared and Maggie would propose to keeping the Meal Plan active and having weekly meetings discussing solutions for future concerns.

4. What are your feelings about....
Academic Advising

are helpful for the students when they cannot get in contact with their advisor.

Academic Tutoring

are helpful for the students when they are having a difficult time understanding a class.

BSC Bookstore

has the best, cheapest coffee in Bismarck, ND.

Buildings and Grounds

are well updated and very clean.

Campus Safety and Security

help secure the feeling of a safe, enjoyable campus.

Mystic Marketplace

opens early and has great selection of food for breakfast and lunch.

Student Activities

are always a good, clean fun that are well organized.

Student Housing

is affordable for the average college students, and have some great RAs.

5. Why do you love being a BSC Mystic?

The team of Jared and Maggie love being a BSC Mystic because of how small the campus is with the teacher to student ratio.

6. What is on your Netflix queue right now?

Jared's Netflix queue includes They Way Way Back, Jack the Giant Slayer, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Maggie's Netflix queue includes One Tree Hill, Friends, and Where the Red Fern Grows.

New Blog Site!

http://bscstudentgovernment.wordpress.com/

Cookie Walk!

We are gearing up for our next big event: Cookie Walk! Everybody is encouraged to show up! It will be held December 17th in the NECE. There is even talk of a silent auction possibly being held!

If you would like to donate cookies to the cookie walk, email us at bsc.sga@bismarckstate.edu

Oktoberfest Was A Success

Last week the SGA sponsored the Oktoberfest celebration, with different events and themes each day. On Monday we sponsored Grocery Bag Bingo. About 50 students showed up to play and win one of 24 bags of groceries. The students had a lot of fun and definitely enjoyed their very full bags of food. Tuesday we gave away about 200 free pretzels outside of the lunchroom. Wednesday was the big day with our final cookout of the fall semester. We gave away bratwurst and sauerkraut in true Oktoberfest style. Students and staff thought that it was wunderbar, and almost 300 people went through the line. The week came to a close on Thursday with free cotton candy and Friday with a showing of Ferris Bueller's Day Off in the NECE.

We want to thank everyone for participating and hope that you had as good a time as we did!

Constitutional Amendment Proposed

Yesterday at our Student Senate meeting, a Constitutional amendment was proposed that would change the procedure for filling vacant class apportioned Senate seats. Under the current procedures, special elections are to be held for the class that has vacant seats. Having just completed an election and still having open Senate seats, we question whether having frequent special elections is a good use of time.

The proposed amendment change the procedure so that the Senate may nominate up to two persons to fill each vacant seat and then vote on the nominees at the following meeting, electing them to finish the remainder of the term.

You can stop by the SGA office to take a look at the proposed amendment and to voice your opinion to your elected representatives.

Almost Ready To Rock and Roll!

Hiya! Kalyn here with a SGA update! Well we have been super busy these past couple days getting our Student Government together! Today we are holding elections to fill the open spots on our Senate and the student organizations are electing members to sit on our Board! Pretty soon we will have a full Senate and really be able to make some positive changes around campus! If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to stop by our office, give us call, or send us an email!

Welcome Week

It's our first week back at school, and we've been kicking off our first semester as the newly reformed student government in true BSC style. Yesterday was our annual Welcome Week Cookout and we had over 400 people come through our line for brats and dogs, which is a much higher turnout than many previous years. We also changed up our radio remote that we typically have and invited our very own BSC MYX radio station to come and spin some tunes for us. We had interviews with athletes, professors, coaches, and activities advisers to let students know what we have to offer at BSC.

Today we have more great stuff lined up. We have informational meetings scheduled throughout the day for freshmen who are interested in running for our open Senate seats. We had 6 people pick up applications yesterday, so hopefully today we have at least that. It would be awesome to have a real race this fall for Student Senate! We also have a hypnotist show scheduled at 8pm with Sailesh. Students won't want to miss out a show that always pleases and entertains the students.

Finally, tomorrow we have our very popular Create-A-Critter event where students can come and stuff an animal with a little love and take it home with them. Lions, t-rex, hippos, and dogs are the choices this time around.

If you want to learn more about SGA or have concerns about campus, stop by the office, which is open every school day from 12pm to 4pm.