The Northern Star asked Student Association senate candidates to respond to two questions: why each chose to run and in what specific areas would they be most effective.

The polling locations are at:

DuSable Hall

Founders Memorial Library

Pow Wow, located in the lower level of the Holmes Student Center

Each voter is allowed eight votes with no more than three votes outside the voter’s district. All eight votes can be used for the voter’s district. Only one vote per candidate is allowed.

Paid fee stickers or class schedules are necessary to receive a ballot.

District 1

Kelly McDonald, 21, junior, art

“We need senators that are aware of the problems and people of NIU. We neEd senators that want to be involved, not ones that win by default,” McDonald said. “I’m tired of people complaining about the senate and the school, but not doing anything about it.”

“I’ve been involved with quite a few of the organizations on campus and I want to represent a progressive political viewpoint,” McDonald said.

Barb Pappas, 21, senior, elementary education

Pappas said she chose to run for senate because she “thought it would be a fuN and interesting experience.”

Pappas sAid she thinks she could be of most help in community affairs and student group involvement.

Candidates who did not participate in the survey are Jody Jancaric, Anthony Mulhern and Beth Vercolio.

District 2

Jeff Abbott, 22, senior, political science/public law

“I have seen the opportunity to influence positive change in the senate and I am getting involved,” Abbott said.

Abbott said he thinks he can find compromises and solutions for groups at NIU. “I hope to enlighten the senate and make it a more productive organization.”

Sadea Ahmed, 21, senior, political science

Ahmed served on the SA senate last year.

“I have always been interested in student government,” Ahmed said. “I feel that the senate is one way that I can get involved in what’s happening around campus and within the administration,” Ahmed said.

“I feel the first task would be to improve the credibility of the senate in the eyes of faculty, administration and the students,” Ahmed said. “The senate has to show how powerful it can be as a body of student representation when it is run properly and effectively.”

Paul Fabrizius, 23, senior, communications and business minor

“I am running for the SA to improve student relations with the university, faculty and administration,” Fabrizius said. “Also create a standard medium of communication for what is going on in the SA and other organizations.

“There are many areas of the SA I want to work on but I think I can be most helpful in public relations and sitting on the president’s commission for the concerns of students with handicaps.”

Ken Feinstein, 21, junior, political science/ international relations

Feinstein said he chose to run for senate “to have a voice on policies passed by the SA.”

“I could be of most help in dealing with SA relations with campus organizations,” Feinstein said. “Having spent two years working with CAB, I feel I could use my experience to help decide on CAB budget and other things of that matter.”

Joel Glidden, 19, junior, accounting

“I have many ideas that I hope will improve student life here at NIU,” Glidden said. “Involvement is essential to add to leadership qualities, and I hope my involvement will improve myself, not only as a leader, but as a person.

“Being an accounting major, I think I have the basic requirements to be on the finance committee,” he said. “The experience I gain through it I hope to be valuable.”

Christina Han, 20, junior, communications major

“I chose to run because I want to get more involved with the university,” Han said. “For the past couple of years I didn’t agree with some of the issues the senate agreed upon and I want to be able to voice my opinions.”

an said she thinks she could be most useful on the internal affairs committee and the minority relations committee.

“One of my goals is to bring unity among many diverse organizations on our campus,” Han said. “Being a minority enables me to understand how minorities feel about certain issues.”

Tina Paries, 21, political science/ history

I decided to get involved in the senate to learn more about our campus and learn about how our money is spent,” she said.

Paries said she could help the public relations committee and the research committee.

“I’m the PR person chairman for my sorority, so I’m familiar with promoting an organization on ou campus,” Paries said.

Joy Schreiber, 21, senior, early childhood education

“I feel that the SA is a good experience and will benefit my collegiate years,” Schreiber said. “I have been around the SA for the past three years, on minority relations for a year and a half.

“I want to be on the minority relations committee because minority representation is not equal to what the minority percentage on campus is, and it should be,” Schreiber said.

District 3

Paul Brizz, 20, junior, marketing

“I believe that my committment to excellence will have a lasting impression on the students and university community,” Brizz said.

“My interests and extensive experience lead me to beleive that I can best represent the NIU students,” Brizz said. “Equal and fair representation of the NIU students is my first priority.”

Stephen Martinet, 21, senior, computer science

“I chose to run for the senate to become more invovled with the matters that occur on campus with the student government,” Martinet said.

Martinet wants to help the finance committee. “This committee seems to be the one most scrutinized; I want to become an active part of it.”

Ed Wand, 20, junior, political science/philosophy

Wand said he chose to run for the senate “in order to become more involved in how things are run around the university.”

“I want to help the SA gain more respect in the student’s eyes by showing them we can get things done and done right,” Wand said. “I also want to stress to the voters that I feel their senators should be accountable to them by listening to their wants and needs.”

District 4

Andy Plonka, 19, sophomore, English

“There seemed to be a need for good candidate who actually cared for the position,” Plonka said. “In the past, the students have been represented by people concerned only about their resumes; I want to make a change.

“I hope to bring respectability back to the SA and regain the faith of the students, faculty and DeKalb residents,” Plonka said.

Preston Came, 20, sophomore, political science

Came served on the SA last year.

“I felt that with the experience I garnered last year, my services would be benificial to the implementation of sound policy,” Came said.

“As a member of the senate and of the finance committee last year I gained a vast storehouse of working knowlege into the finances of the SA,” Came said. “I feel that this experience would enable me to make the prudent decisions necessary for the efficient running of student government.”

James Rock, 20, junior, political science

“After discussing student issues last year on the political science floor, I believe I have gained perspective on student issues.

“I believe I could be of most help on the academic affairs committee and internal affairs committee,” Rock said. “My experience on the academic affairs committee last year should help me implement sound policy in that area.”

Eric Krol, journalism

“I wanted to get involved and change things for the better here at Northern,” Krol said. “I feel the SA is underrated and underappreciated by the students, mostly because it is under publicized.

“I want to get involved on the publicity committee to make people more aware of what SA does for the university,” Krol said.

Julie Briggs, 18, freshman, undecided

“In hopes of taking advantage of the potential opportunities the SA has in doing the best thing for the students, I chose to run to make a difference.

“I believe students should be more aware of the SA and the opportunities that are available because of the SA,” Briggs said. “The SA should be an organization that gets thing done; not just individuals who sit in a meeting and talk in circles.”

by Lisa Ferro

Allison Arkin, 19, junior, math education

“I’d like to address students’ concerns, have the SA run efficiently, allocate funding wisely and encourage environmental responsibility,” Arkin said.

Arkin thinks she could help the SA by promoting recycling and keeping goals in perspective.

David Becker, 18, freshman, political sbience

“I’m very interested in politics and I want to get involved in school polidics as best I can, and this is a wonderfel opportunity for me to try,” Becker said.

Becker said he is interested in the university environmental committee and the judicial board.

Ian “Neon” Coburn, 18, freshman, political science

“I want to Be involved in school policy decisions,” Coburn said. “I believe it is important for students to have voices heard and urge them to do so.

“My primary goal is to learn how the senate works and what students beleive the issues are,” he said.

Darryl Jones, 19, freshman, secondary education

“I wanted to bring unity to Northern,& Jones said. “I feel obligated to give the students a reliable senator that will bd will to listen to the problems and concerns about the college,” he said.

“I would like to help by requesting students to voice their opinions on subjects such as tuition, college funds and school spirit.”

District 5

Gloria Abeja, 20, junior, organization and corporate communications

Abeja said she thinks “the SA is the nucleus of the university.”

“I want to get involved,” she said. “I’ve had an interest in this organization since my freshman year.”

Abaja wants to help by increasing football attendance, promoting free ride service and and improving registration by advocating a phone registration system.

Naveed Bandukwala, 18, freshman, pre-business

“I want to help guide and represent the students in a manner which is most beneficial to them as well as the university.”

Kevin Craver, 19, sophomore, computer science

Craver said he ran for the senate because he wants to improve the communications between the SA and he beleives that several departments, especially financial aid, can be run more efficiently.

He feels he can be of most help on the Student Financial Aid Committee, university programming and activities and meeting the demands of the NIU students.

Jennifer Desmond, 21, junior, political science

Desmond said she chose to run for the senate “to represent the students of NIU by helping them voice their ideas and opinions.

“I would like to work on the community affairs committee to help the students and the university interact with the city of DeKalb,” Desmond said.

Dawn Foose, 19, junior, political science/pre-law

Foose was a senator and student senate secretary at Elgin Community College.

Foose said she will do her best to make the senate run smoothly, because most decision making is involved and it will affect students directly.

“I will put my experience into every decision I make, if it be social, academic or any other concerns the student may have.

Mark Geiger, 18, freshman, business

“I feel I can help the student body grow,” Geiger said. “I will represent them and their wishes.”

He said he could be of help in getting students involved with the campus and the politics that involve them.

Gary Jones, 25, Graduate, MBA finance

Jones said he chose to run for the senate because he feels disabled students need more representation in government.

“I want to bring financial responsibilities to the senate and I want to represent the concerns of disabled students.”

Andrew “Drew” Krenke, 19, freshman, pre-business

Krenke said he is tired of reading about the SA. He is running to change the system and give students more power.

Krenke wants to present a new parking system to work for everyone, find realistic ways to make the campus safer and bring more financial aid to NIU.

Eric Lynch, 18, Freshman, Pre-business

Lynch chose to run for senate to represent the students and increase awareness among student on current issues.

He said he thinks he could be of most help discussing of current problems and situations and solving these problems through the SA for the student body.

Orville Maclin, 19, sophomore, communications

Maclin said he chose to run for the SA because there is low black representation inside the SA.

“I will try to insure that the rights and freedom for students are upheld in the SA,” Maclin said.

“The areas I feel I could be of most help is with all university programs that fall under the SA, but I feel that I will put more emphasis on the minority programs because I know from experience they need more support.”

Mike Ruderman, 21, senior, computer science

Ruderman said he decided to get involved with the SA because of last spring’s presidential elections.

Ruderman wants to involve himself with academic affairs, student wellness and teacher evaluations.

“I feel strongly about publishing teacher evaluations so that students have a right to know which teachers are doing a good job,” he said. “I also feel the teachers themselves will consider their own performance once they know that evaluations will be seen by the student body and other faculty as well.”

Stacey Ruderman, 19, sophomore, political science

“I am interested in politics and I felt this (running for the SA) would be the best way to learn more about the system,” Ruderman said.

Ruderman said she is interested in the academic affairs, the student political education and action and the public relations committees.

Henry Treftz, 20, senior, computer science

Treftz was on the SA last year and is running again “to help promote fiscal responsibility within the SA.”

he said he could be of most help in improving SA relations with student organization and in helping the SA be more responsible.

The senate districts are:

District 1 includes commuters living outside the city district and all of DeKalb east of the Kishwaukee River.

District 2 includes the area enclosed to the north by the DeKalb city limits, to the west by Annie Glidden Road, to the south by Lucinda Avenue and to the east by the Kishwaukee River, but excludes the University Plaza.

District 3 excludes all residence halls, and consists of the area within the DeKalb city limits to the west side of Annie Glidden Road and the Kishwaukee River.

District 4 consists of Douglas Hall, Stevenson Towers and Grant Towers.

University Plaza, Neptune, Lincoln and Gilbert halls are included in District 5.