Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate addressed the Iowa State Student Government Wednesday evening about the Catt Collegiate Challenge to encourage civic engagement on campus.
“The voting trends in Iowa are going in the right direction,” Pate said. “We are seeing more 18-to-25-year-olds stepping up and registering and voting.”
Pate went on to emphasize the value of each vote.
“You have a voice,” Pate said. “We had a congressional race a few years ago that [had] hundreds of thousands of votes cast and that individual won by six votes. Then we have legislative races quite often that are tied, and the county auditor is pulling the winner’s name out of a hat.”
To further encourage collegiate Iowans to vote, Pate launched the Catt Collegiate Challenge to integrate civic engagement into campus life. Carrie Chapman Catt graduated from Iowa State in 1880 and went on to drive the women’s suffrage movement.
Postsecondary institutions demonstrating leadership in civic engagement will receive recognition from the Secretary of State’s office.
StuGov also discussed its recommitment to non-partisanship.
“Civic engagement is so important,” Speaker of the Senate Claire Hartley said. “I want every student to understand that in the context of our student government, we are representing all of them.”
Senator Noah Kammeyer asked Hartley how the message of non-partisanship will go beyond passing a bill. Hartley explained that there will be communications with the broader community through a potential press release or social media outreach.
StuGov then discussed the Analysis of Social Services Evaluation Team (ASSET) and proposed that the Iowa State FY2028 priorities advance to the Story County ASSET.
ASSET is a partnership between StuGov, the city of Ames and Story County. The FY2028 priorities are data- and student-need-driven.
“These are specific to what the Student Government would like with our hundreds of thousands of dollars that we’re providing,” StuGov President Brody Kuhse said.
Senators approved $225 in a funding bill for members of the Iowa State Car Club to attend and compete in the Ice Cream Cruise, the largest racetrack car show in the Midwest.
The Senate also approved a $12,725 funding bill for StuGov representatives to attend the Big 12 Conference in Texas. StuGov representatives from across the Big 12 Conference will gather to exchange ideas.
The Senate approved a bill allocating $2,500 from the Senate Discretionary account to the Operating account to fund catering for meetings.
StuGov conducted a first reading on four funding bills. First, a $19,300 funding bill for the Iowa State Men’s Hockey Team for gloves, pants, helmets, van travel costs and the league fee for D3.
Second, a $148.58 funding bill for the Vietnamese Student Association Welcome Back event.
Next, a $8,430 funding bill for the Making Positive Advancements in Creative Technologies Club (IMPACT) to travel and attend a competition in Alabama.
Finally, a $400 funding bill for the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (UMACS) Conference.
StuGov approved the bill assigning additional responsibilities to Attorney General Renae Masson, a freshman studying political science. The tasks include holding a weekly office hour, serving as an ex officio member of the Rules Committee, enforcing nonfeasance, misfeasance & malfeasance and obtaining a total of seven outreach credits.
StuGov sat Supreme Court Associate Justice Ella Jicinsky, a senior studying healthcare management.
The Local Affairs Committee sat two at-large members: Austin Souravong, a senior studying urban and regional planning and Nathan Williams, a junior studying business analytics.
The Legislative Ambassadors sat at-large member Charlie Fisher, a junior studying microbiology.
The Sustainability Committee sat six at-large members: Ava Brunner, a senior studying environmental science; Molly Rogers, a senior studying environmental science; Maddox Purk, a sophomore studying environmental science; Felicity Crowe, a junior studying environmental science; Maya Seger, a junior studying environmental science and political science; and Nina Fontanella, a senior studying environmental science.