by Riley Hetland and Ethan Fiegel were elected president and vice president of the University of Minnesota’s Undergraduate Student Government two weeks ago.
Only 883 students voted in this year’s election, a nearly 60% decrease in voter turnout compared to last year. University Report surveyed a handful of students on campus, all of whom said they did not vote and did not know what the USG’s president does.
Hetland said there was an emphasis on getting students to vote in the election in general while she was campaigning.
“It wasn’t really the effort of getting students to vote for us, rather just to get students to vote in general,” Hetland said.
Hetland and Fiegel’s campaign laid out their four presidential pillars:
- Student health and wellbeing
- College affordability
- Campus safety
- Sustainability and environmental policy
“Our biggest priority is making us accessible to students and allowing them a direct pipeline to talk to us about issues they’re facing,” Hetland said. “Especially right now with tuition increases and the lack of an on-campus grocery store.”
Outside of their pillars, Hetland said she wants students to approach her with other concerns once she’s in office.
“Overwhelmingly, student voices are what drove our policy,” Hetland said.
Fiegel said a large part of the president and vice president’s roles is delegating responsibilities throughout the student government.
“I think the best way to describe the president and vice president’s role is to be working in the background,” Fiegel said. “Yes, we’re the face in the interviews and the Minnesota Daily stories, but mostly we’re the ones that are guiding the work.”
Hetland said she is passionate about representing students and uniting the University’s three campuses. She also said being a student does not prevent her from making significant changes, and she is committed to advocating for important issues facing students.
“It’s always hard to work with the University and actually motivate them to make changes,” Hetland said. “But if we stay silent, they’re not going to make those changes.”
Hetland and Fiegel’s term begins on July 1. They will succeed current president Rahma Ali and vice president Clara Jünemann.
