The new and current President and Vice President of Student Senate, Seth Ferguson and Mary Komandt respectively look to continue the recent successes of Senate and expand upon them throughout 2018.
Ferguson and Komandt ran unopposed for the top executive positions at the Student Senate. Seth rose from several years as a representative then cabinet member to the presidency. Komandt is a 4th-year pharmacy major who served as the Vice President in 2017 alongside Drew Goehman as President.
Now in office for the 2018 year, Ferguson and Komandt want to build on the positive changes Senate experienced in 2017 internally and externally. “Last year, Senate got a lot closer, and we became a lot more of a unit, and I think we’re looking to use that group strength to tackle bigger things,” Ferguson said.
“Toward the end of last year, Senate gained a lot more visibility as a whole last year across campus, and we’d like to capitalize on that,” Komandt stated, going further to say that they want to continue getting involved with other organizations on campus and increasing Senate’s relationship with students.
In 2017, Student Senate was able to plan and put on Siblings Weekend which replaced the usual Family Weekend during the annual Harvest and Herb Festival in the Fall. Several hundred families attended the event in its first year. Senate also had success with their annual Coffee House with President DiBiasio.
Going beyond events, Ferguson and Komandt want to keep increasing the transparency of Senate. Mainly the ease and comfort of communication with Senate about anything that students may want or have questions or concerns about.
One issue that Komandt mentioned about transparency is the parking on campus. Members of Senate have been and will continue to work with Chief Greg Horne to ensure that all students understand the parking system at ONU and where they can and cannot park.
Ferguson and Komandt want to keep pushing for programs that let students give more input to and communicate with their respective delegates. Student Senate has been progressing toward a visibly more transparent and open stance in recent years. This year, the overarching goal of Ferguson and Komandt is to continue the good things that Senate has done in the last year and keep connecting with students.