Students' Association 2022-2023 Senate
The Students' Association Senate is comprised of 26 senators serving the 7 different academic colleges. If an academic college doesn't fill all of their seats Senators At-Large are sworn in to fill empty seats. Additionally, an executive team is formed at the beginning of each term to serve as senate leadership include the Student Body President and Vice President.
Learn more about the Students' Association Executive Team and Senate below!
President
Blake Pulse
Committees: Finance (Ex Officio), Government Affairs, Organizational Subcommittee, UAFBC and UFSAC (Student Chair)
Year: Senior | Major(s): Agricultural Communications and Political Science
Campus Involvement: Hobo Day Committee, Horticulture & Urban Agriculture Club, Political Science Club, Pre-Law Society, State-A-Thon and Jackrabbit Central
Vice President
Anna Shane
Committees: Finance, Government Affairs, Senate Communications and Student Promotions
Year: Senior | Major(s): Political Science, Spanish and Global Studies
Campus Involvement: Pre-Law Society (Communications Chair), Political Science Club, Honors College Student Organization and Honors Dean's Student Advisory Council
Chief of Staff
Hannah Nelson
Committees: Government Affairs, Student Diversity & Inclusion, Transportation and Wellness Center Advisory Committee
Year: Senior | Major(s): Political Science, Spanish and Global Studies
Campus Involvement: SA Chief of Staff, Track/Cross Country, SAAC, Pre-Law Society, Political Science Club and Honors College
Finance Chair
Rachel Goldsmith
Committees: Finance (Chair), Academic Appeals, Library, and UAFBC
Year: Senior | Major(s): History
Campus Involvement: Students' Association Senator and Finance Chair, Hobo Day Committee Bands Coordinator, Honors Teaching Assistant and Honors College Student Organization
Government Affairs Chair
Erika Van Nieuwenhuyse
Committees: Government Affairs (Chair), Student Promotions (Chair), Campus Planning & Sustainability and Transportation
Year: Senior | Major(s): Political Science
Campus Involvement: SDSU College Republicans, Pre-Law Society, Jacks for Life and Political Science Club
Communications Chair
Garrett Satterly
Committees: Senate Communications (Chair), Diversity & Inclusion, Government Affairs, Integrated Marketing & Communications and Student Promotions (Student Employee Representative)
Year: Senior | Major(s): Communication Studies
Campus Involvement: Lead Community Assistant, HRL Office Assistant, Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band, Allied for Acceptance LLC and Students' Association
Diversity Liaison
Harley Fischer
Committees: Student Diversity & Inclusion (Chair), Safety & Security and Diversity & Inclusion
Year: Junior | Major(s): Human Biology Pre-Med
Campus Involvement: Track and Field/XC, AISES (Public Relations Chair) and AMSA Member (American Medical Student Association)
Senators for the College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences
Tyler Rasmussen
Committees: Government Affairs Committee, Safety & Security Committee and Information Technology Committee
Year: Sophomore | Major(s): Agriculture Business
Campus Involvement: Alpha Gamma Rho
Jessica Kott
Committees: Finance Committee, Safety & Security Committee, Student Promotion Committee and Transportation Committee
Year: Junior | Major(s): Agricultural Business
Campus Involvement: Collegiate Farm Bureau and Block and Bridle
Trinity Peterson
Committees: Finance Committee, Senate Communications Committee, Student Union Advisory Committee and UFSAC
Year: Sophomore | Major(s): Political Science and Agricultural Education
Campus Involvement: Students' Association, 2021-2022 South Dakota State FFA Officer
Ryder Mortenson
Committees: Finance Committee, Intercollegiate Athletics Board, Safety & Security Committee and Wellness Center Advisory Committee
Year: Junior | Major(s): Agricultural Business and Business Economics
Campus Involvement: Admissions Ambassador, CAFES Ambassador, Investment Club, Pheasants Forever and Finance, Insurance & Real Estate (F.I.R.E.) Club
Senators for the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Betsey Williams
Committees: Campus Planning & Sustainability, Finance, Safety & Security and Senate Communications
Year: Senior | Major(s): Political Science & Theatre
Campus Involvement: State University Theatre and Dance, Alpha Psi Omega, Admissions Ambassador
Nick Grote
Committees: Finance (Vice Chair), Academic Affairs, Internal Marketing & Communications and University Activity Fee and Budgeting
Year: Sophomore | Major(s): Business Economics & Entrepreneurial Studies
Campus Involvement: Honors College Dean's Student Advisory Council, Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization Club, Administrative Assistant for University Marketing and Communications
Michael Garofalo
Committees: Campus Planning & Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion, Government Affairs, Organizational Subcommittee, Parking & Traffic, Senate Communications and Student Diversity & Inclusion
Year: Junior | Major(s): Political Science
Campus Involvement: SDSU Students' Association Senate, Political Science Club, History Club, Pre-Law Society, Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band, SDSU Statesmen
Senators for the College of Education and Human Services
Senators for the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering
Caleb Huizenga
Committees: Intercollegiate Athletics Board, Parking & Traffic, Safety & Security and Wellness Center Advisory Committee
Year: Senior | Major(s): Civil & Environmental Engineering
Campus Involvement: Vice President American Society of Civil Engineering, College Republicans, Jacks for Life, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, SDSU investment Club, Representative on Joint Engineering Council
Grant Sternhagen
Committees: Government Affairs, Information Technology, Senate Communications, Student Success and Transportation
Year: Sophomore | Major(s): Electrical Engineering
Campus Involvement: Investment Club, Joint Engineering Council, Mathews Hall Government, Residence Hall Association and Country Swing Dancing Club
Natalie Poppens
Committees: Academic Affairs, Parking & Traffic, Safety & Security and Government Affairs
Year: Junior | Major(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
Campus Involvement: American Society of Civil Engineers, Chi Epsilon, Concrete Canoe, Economics Club and Institute of Transportation Engineers
Senators for the College of Natural Sciences
Hunter Eide
Committees: Finance, Parking & Traffics, Safety & Security and Government Affairs
Year: Junior | Major(s): Human Biology
Campus Involvement: Prairie Doc Fellowship
Senators for the College of Nursing
Madison Fitch
Committees: Intercollegiate Athletics Board, Library and Student Success
Year: Senior | Major(s): Nursing
Campus Involvement: Greek Life-Alpha Xi Delta, Fishback Honors College, SDSU Council of Trustees- Student Ex-Officio, Oasis Young Adult Ministry and Intramurals
Senators for the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health
Senators for the Graduate School
Senators At-Large
William Kessler
Committees: Finance, Government Affairs, Safety & Security, Student Union Advisory Committee and Transportation
Year: Senior | Major(s): Political Science
Campus Involvement: Pride of the Dakota, Honors College, Statesmen, Pre-Law Society and Concert Choir
Katie Neuhaus
Committees: Diversity & Inclusion, Student Diversity & Inclusion and Government Affairs
Year: Sophomore | Major(s): Criminology
Campus Involvement: Armed Forces Association and Air Force ROTC
Katelyn Mahan
Committees: Academic Affairs, Finance and Information Technology
Year: Junior | Major(s): Criminology
Campus Involvement: New Student Orientation Leader, Admissions Ambassador, Political Science Club Secretary, Pre-Law Society and Oasis
Mara Andersen
Committees: Library and SDState Health
Year: Junior | Major(s): Human Biology
Campus Involvement: BCYMP Youth Mentor, Oasis Ministry Team, Student's Association, LeadState Student Coach and Anatomy Intern
Abhinav Kubal
Committees: Government Affairs, Student Diversity & Inclusion and Library
Year: Senior | Major(s): Political Science and Sociology
Campus Involvement: Treasurer of the Political Science Club
Madeline Brink
Committees: Campus Planning & Sustainability, Government Affairs, Student Diversity & Inclusion and Intercollegiate Athletics Board
Year: Sophomore | Major(s): Political Science
Campus Involvement: Political Science Club, Concert Choir, Choralia and Symphony Orchestra
Hayden Bentz
Committees: Government Affairs, Information Technology and Intercollegiate Athletics Board
Year: Freshmen | Major(s): Human Biology
Campus Involvement: Fishback Honors College, Pride of the Dakotas and Pre-Professional Club
Claire Koenecke
Committees: Safety & Security, Government Affairs and Senate Communications
Year: Freshmen | Major(s): English and Political Science
Campus Involvement: Honors College, Taylor Swift Society and English Club
Hannah Dayaget
Committees: Integrated Marketing & Communications, Student Success and UFSAC
Year: Freshmen | Major(s): Global Studies and Sociology
Campus Involvement: Global Studies Club and Speech and Debate
Become a Students' Association Senator
Elections for Students' Association senators and the student body president and vice president are held in March. Petitions for the election generally become available in February. In order to run in the senatorial election, a student must file an application and petition including signatures from at least 50 students in their academic college (25 signatures for senatorial candidates from the Graduate School). Information about Students' Association elections will be available in the Rabbit Report leading up to the election and on the Students' Association website.
Occasionally, Senate seats will become vacant during the academic year. In these cases, seats will be filled by Senators-At-Large appointed by the Students' Association Board of Directors. Senator-At-Large candidates must file an application and petition including signatures from at least 50 SDSU students regardless of their academic college. When Senator-At-Large positions are open, information will be included in the Rabbit Report and the Students' Association website.