The Students’ Association election is coming up and we already know who the winners are for the president and vice president race.
Trinity Peterson and Hayden Bentz are running uncontested for the president and vice president positions, giving them a one-way ticket to victory.
Peterson is from Willow Lake, S.D. majoring in political science and agricultural leadership. Bentz is from Rapid City, S.D. majoring in human biology and business economics.
Last year’s election shaped where Peterson and Bentz are today. Peterson started in the vice president position, but quickly had to step into the president’s position after Nick Grote stepped down in April, just weeks after the election.
“It wasn’t my plan; I like to be prepared,” Peterson said. She gives credit to Bentz for making the transition easier.
Bentz stepped into the vice president position after Peterson became president.
“I humbly accepted the request from Trinity,” Bentz said. “She called and asked me to be vice president and work alongside her. I told her I would be honored to serve in that role.”
When it came down to running for the president and vice president positions again, Bentz knew he would run with Peterson again if she asked. Over the last year, he has found it rewarding to work with Peterson.
Peterson said she wanted to run again because of the people she connects with throughout the year.
“I enjoy meeting people and making a difference and, ultimately, it is my job to make students’ lives easier.”
Now that Peterson and Bentz have known each other for almost a year, they said they feel confident to serve as the president and vice president of the SA for another year, something that is rare. Records show that past presidents and vice presidents have served for more than a year, but never together.
“It is unusual to see a president and vice president run for a second term as a partnership, so we want to see that happen,” Bentz said.
Some common issues that were seen throughout this past year was the disconnect between the faculty and administration as well as not enough student voices being brought to the table.
“Those are both important within the Students’ Association, so it is something that we will work on during our next term,” Peterson said.
Peterson also noted that dietary restrictions were a big challenge for them this year. “I’m gluten-free and I haven’t seen a lot of gluten-free options.” She noted that it’s ok for her because she’s not severely allergic, but it’s not ok for somebody who is.
Besides dietary restrictions, Bentz found some different challenges that he faced throughout this last year. His main one being learning how to manage a team.
“Everyone has their own thoughts on things.”
He also joked that it is daunting to go into a meeting with President Barry Dunn. He has learned that Dunn is always gracious and welcoming in every meeting he attends.
Besides some of the challenges Peterson and Bentz faced throughout this last year, they also think they have compiled many accomplishments. They point to the general activity fee, or GAF, plan. Over the next seven years, the GAF will be $50.85 per credit hour. Along with that, there has been more funding for student organizations, Rabbit Ride, and Miller Wellness Center renovation.
“All of these things will take a while to see, but we are starting to see them now,” Peterson said.
Bentz said the year has been a good opportunity to grow his confidence and offer his insight to students on campus. He also has found it to be a humbling experience to represent all the students on campus and see the different views they have on things.
The relationship that Peterson and Bentz built this last year by working together on various projects has helped them become more effective for the campus as a whole and guiding them to run for a second term, they said.
The planning process for running in this year’s election started in October and November. Since then, Peterson and Bentz said they have been expanding on what they are already working on, implementing their plans and creating more interaction and communication with student organizations.
The plans they have for next year reflect on some of the challenges they have faced. They will continue to work on those, but they also have other plans. They have not found a lot when it comes to mental health resources, so a plan of theirs is to create an online mental health portal for students seeking mental health resources. Creating a Dakota corps scholarship on high need areas of the workplace that is geared toward healthcare specifically, is another major plan they have for this upcoming year.
Their slogan is, “Forward Together,” emphasizing everything they plan to do this year will be together as a team. One of the biggest things they plan to work on together is the GAF.
“The GAF plan set aside funds for transportation five years ago and it never came to be because of the pandemic,” Peterson said. They plan to bring that up again and use those funds for transportation.
They also plan to establish a task force to allocate money, hear student input, and make sure they keep in contact with their already existing partnerships for their next term.
The SA election is March 19-20, just after students come back on campus from spring break.
Why should anyone care:
The Students’ Association Senate serves as a representative body to bring the voice of SDSU students to university administration, faculty, staff, state legislators and the South Dakota Board of Regents. Throughout this last year, SA leaders have testified in favor of mental health funding as well as funding for the rodeo arena. In the Senate, they determine where student money gets spent.
The SA also allocates student fee funds to support various campus entities, facilities and many student organizations. They oversee the student organization budget which falls between $400,000 – $500,000. Last year, they had to pull from their reserve funds to fund a total of $477,000 to student organizations. They also oversee student money that goes to athletics, the Student Union and the Wellness Center.