Petitions for the fall 2011 student government executive branch are currently available in the Student Activity Center as well as online and will be due Thursday.

Every member of the executive branch gets a 12 credit hour tuition waiver, but they do have to pay their student fees.

Jennifer Prillaman, a junior foreign language major, is the current student vice president for academic affairs – a position that currently has two Student Senate members.

“At the beginning of the year I appoint students to numerous academic committees around campus and I put forth the names of the student deans for each college for student government to choose,” Prillaman said.

The student vice president for academic affairs serves as the student representative to Faculty Senate and has to attend its meetings every other week.

Prillaman is also a voting member on the Council on Academic Affairs and attends weekly meetings.

“(The) Council on Academic Affairs is the body that approves new courses, revisions to existing courses and is the deciding voice on many academic regulations,” she said. “It is also my job to appoint other student representatives to both of these organizations.”

“Pizza with the Prez” is an event where President Bill Perry answers Eastern students’ questions once a semester.

“I collaborate on a date and time with President Perry and work with residence halls and their hall councils to promote and execute the program,” Prillaman said.

The Student’s Distinguished Professor Award is an annual award where students can nominate Eastern professors that they feel have gone above and beyond their job description.

“I update the application, promote it to students to nominate their professors, create a selection committee to choose the winning professors and plan the awards banquet,” she said.

The banquet will take place Tuesday.

“I am so thankful to have had all of these opportunities to represent the students and work along with student government, the faculty and our administration,” Prillaman said.

Aseret Gonzalez

Year: Junior

Major: Sociology

Party: PULSE

Hometown: Earlville, Ill.

Time on Student Senate: One semester

Current position on senate: Academic Affairs Committee member

Promise to students: I know some people are afraid to have a voice so for those people I want to be that voice. I think it will be a harder to get student government’s positive message out there, but student government is there for the students, so we all need to start talking again.

Project goals: I want to bring academics to the forefront again because that’s the whole reason we are all here to begin with.

First goal if elected: I just want to be able to get comfortable with the position.

Best candidate because: I’m all about school, academics and getting the word out about the issues going on on-campus.

Changes to Student Senate: When I came to Eastern, I didn’t realize the student government had a bad reputation on campus so I want to change Student Senate by changing the way students see us.

One word to describe opponent, Holly Henry: Leader

Holly Henry

Year: Sophomore

Major: Political science

Party: LEAD

Hometown: Hanover Park, Ill.

Time on Student Senate: Three semesters

Current position on senate: Academic Affairs Chairwoman

Promise to students: I’ll try to make academics as important to students as they are to me.

Project goals: Since I have been on academic affairs for a long time, I already have some projects in the works. I am looking into a program called supplemental instruction that has been very beneficial to students in the business department.

First goal if elected: More academic programs need to be done to enhance the overall experience here on campus.

Best candidate because: I have been on academic affairs for the last three semesters and I think I could do so much more.

Changes to Student Senate: student government needs to start speaking directly to the students and not just for them.

One word to describe opponent, Aseret Gonzalez: Hard worker

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].