Over the last month, Student Senate has had the opportunity to visit several residence halls and hear from students in an environment different from their normal meetings. The senate’s Marketing and Engagement Committee organized three town hall events for the spring semester, where students enjoyed a free dilly bar provided by Residence Life and talked with student senators about issues on campus. At these events, the senate take feedback on issues. These events also serve to educate students about the senate’s responsibilities on campus, as most students are not aware of the UW System’s shared governance policy. The senate’s next town hall is on Thursday, March 19 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Hugunin Hall multi-purpose room. You do not need to be a resident of Hugunin to attend.
The Legislative Affairs Committee has also been busy this semester, organizing a voter registration drive sponsored by Student Senate. The event is called Platteville’s Voice 2020 and will happen in Heritage Hall on Tuesday, March 31 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Not only will students be able to vote, but there will be an expo where students can talk with different political organizations, as well as the bi-partisan company, CommonAlly. CommonAlly is a web-based start-up company headquartered in California that provides users with information on public policy and political candidates. The highlight of the event will be the panel discussions, which will provide dialogue on the importance of voting for specific career fields such as engineering, sustainability and agriculture. As always, Student Senate invites any members of the public to attend our meetings and voice their concerns. Senate meets every Monday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the University Rooms inside the Markee Pioneer Student Center.