The Associated Student Body elected eight new senators for the upcoming academic year during the ASB formal senate meeting in the Student Union Auditorium on Tuesday, April 22.
Five senators recently resigned from their seats, opening those spots for election. The other three were vacant following ASB elections in March.
Eleven candidates ran for the eight available seats, with each candidate making the case for their election to the sitting senators. Troy Christian, Sawyer Gates, Eron Hendrix, Corey Kingery, Dylan Quinn, Wesley Templet, William Thompson and Ethan Williams were elected.
Hendrix, a senior public health and public policy leadership major from Tupelo, Miss., served on the senate prior to her recent unsuccessful run for ASB president.
“I’m really excited to be elected again this year,” Hendrix said. “This is going to be my third term in the senate, and I’m really excited to be able to give back to the student body. This place has really given me so much. It truly is a home for me, and I’m so excited to continue to build upon that.”
Hendrix shared her plans for her new senate term.
“My biggest goal and plan for this year would be to get free period products in all of our athletic buildings on campus,” Hendrix said. “Having free period products in the football stadium on game days so that people don’t have to worry about that is one of my goals this year.”
Templet, a junior public policy leadership major from Vacherie, La., ran for ASB vice president earlier this semester. After losing that election, he decided to campaign to regain his senate seat.
“I served the past two years on the housing committee, but I’m looking to do a few more things this year besides housing,” Templet said. “I want to work on making sure the ASB Code of Constitution is updated and reflective of how we work currently, how we can work better and more efficiently for students and making sure we’re working with the students the best we can.”
Templet talked about his other plans to improve various aspects of campus life.
“I want to work on mental health resources, especially promoting 988 as the mental health hotline around campus,” Templet said. “Another idea I have is to work on dead week. Right now we have a kind of dead week before finals, but I really want to make sure professors are following that and making sure that students don’t have exams and big projects due a week before finals just to have time to study and whatnot.”
Christian, a junior multidisciplinary studies major from Jackson, Miss., emphasized his plan to continue where he left off in the senate earlier this semester.
“As I step back into the role of ASB senator, I plan to continue the momentum of being a voice for our student body,” Christian said. “(I plan) to continue pushing for advocacy for all students, including minority organizations and their leadership. I will also continue to achieve and excel in all aspects possible.”
Kingery expressed excitement about her election to the senate.
“I’m incredibly honored to be elected to the senate and grateful for the opportunity to serve,” Kingery, a sophomore public policy major, said.
Kingery, a native of Meridian, Miss., is eager to collaborate with her peers.
“I’m looking forward to working with fellow students and leaders to help make campus more inclusive, engaging and student-focused,” Kingery said. “Over the next year, I hope to bring fresh ideas to the table and help turn student feedback into meaningful action — including improving academic advising, evaluating our mental health policies, strengthening the university’s relationship with the LOU community and finding new ways to gather and elevate student voices.”
Quinn, a junior public policy leadership major from Fulton, Miss., voiced his plans for the next year.
“My first plan is to figure out a way for all advisers to be on the same page and understand transfer credits and how they work,” Quinn said. “My second plan is to make first-year student resources more available. A lot of times when people come to the university, they tend to be lost at the beginning.”
Thompson, a sophomore international studies major from Laurel, Miss., prioritized making college materials more affordable and accessible.
“One of my top priorities is to address the high cost of course materials,” Thompson said. “Students already pay so much to attend college, and we need more transparency about what materials are truly required for courses, more financial support and a greater use of open-source textbooks.”
Williams, a sophomore public policy major from Ocean Springs, Miss., stated that he was passionate about working to better the university.
“I’m so proud to have been chosen for this,” Williams said. “A perfect campus is impossible but should always be the end goal.”
Williams further expressed a desire to improve the university’s infrastructure.
“Going forward, I plan to work with the senate to improve the infrastructure on our campus while also responding to the complaints many students have,” Williams said.
The Daily Mississippian reached out to Gates for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication.
In addition to electing new senators, ASB also confirmed their previously elected senators for the upcoming academic year.
