The Student Government Elections will take place this week starting Monday morning at 8 am and running until Wednesday at 5 pm. All full-time students can vote on AceLink. The positions being voted on will be the Student Government president, vice president and the newly created Academic Fund Board chairperson. All students will also be able to vote for the Student Elected Trustee, a three-year appointment to the Board of Trustees. The winning candidate for each position must obtain a majority of the vote. If that does not happen, we will be having run-off elections. Only candidates who obtain 20% of the vote will appear on a run-off ballot. The run-off elections will be announced via email to all students. 

Below are the statements submitted by the candidates for the position(s) for which they are running. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

SGA President

Connor Donnelly
My name is Connor Donnelly, and I do not only have the experience and qualifications necessary to be a successful SGA president, but also the plan to represent you in the ways you need and deserve. I am currently serving as the president of Harlaxton College SGA, have been a fraternity president, the treasurer of Student Activities Board, an Orientation Leader, and have served on SGA during my entire time at UE, helping with bylaw reforms and organization representation. My ultimate goal is to have better student representation in SGA, providing opportunities for students to express what they want and deserve. I will meet individually with any student or organization that has any University concerns. I will not be afraid to stand up to administrators, and will be the person who gets you what you deserve! Please vote for me, allowing me the opportunity to get you what you deserve!

Richy Ludwick
Growing up, my family moved around the country--I've lived in Oregon, Florida, New York, Oklahoma, and Indiana. Moving has been an integral part of my life;  it is hard to answer the question, "where are you from?"

I am excited to run for president because it is the greatest opportunity to serve. As a nomad, I lacked an identity that most people know as 'home.' Evansville has redefined my concept of home in that the community here has fostered a loving atmosphere of growth and development.

The only way I could be able to repay my debt to this school is by asking to serve as SGA president with the same love and dedication it has shown me these past three years.

As president, I want to facilitate communication between students and administration; explore the availability of study areas and find incentives to promote further multi-disciplinary, extracurricular activities.

Mallory Mooney
I feel I would be a good president because I truly love UE and want to serve the university and students to the best of my ability. I have had various University commitments where I have had the opportunity to work closely with faculty and administrators. I feel I would be a great representative of the student body because I have been involved with athletics, Greek life, orientation leaders and SGA.

If elected as president, my goal is to ease the transition of the prioritization process of campus. This process will affect the majority of students. I plan to assist students through this challenging time. Lastly, if elected president my goal would be to have our student government utilized as a resource to the students. I will periodically ask our students "What more can we do? What can we do better?" and take the necessary action to better serve the students.

Suhrob Muratov
My name is Suhrob Muratov, and I am the first student at UE from Tajikistan. Three years ago, studying abroad and pursuing two degrees with a minor would have sounded extraordinary to me. Next May, though, I will graduate with diplomas in accounting and management, and a minor in Spanish. UE has transformed my life, and I feel it is my responsibility to reciprocate.

Being SGA president will give me a chance to contribute to the improvement of students’ experience at UE. My diverse cultural, educational, and experiential backgrounds, I believe, will allow me to better understand students' needs and represent their interests. Helping current and prospective students achieve success after leaving this institution is my number-one priority. I have many ideas and the eagerness to provide students with a chance to get the most out of their 4 years in college.


SGA Vice President

Mallory Mooney
(Candidate is also running for SGA President. See statement above.)

Yaman Shiekh Deia
My name is Yaman Shiekh Deia and I am running for vice president of the Student Government Association. I am determined to work to my greatest potential to make this year one of the most successful years. My duty as vice president is to help the president, and it is both our job to represent you. My fellow students, I want each and every one of you to know that I will take this job responsibly and will do it to the best of my ability. Be sure that any decision I make and assist in making will be with you first in mind.

Thank you for your time and patience, and I hope you vote for the right person.

Pete Stremming
Hello! My name is Pete Stremming and I am a sophomore mechanical engineering major.

I believe that it is very important to have strong leadership within our student government, allowing us to be efficient in solving our campus's problems.

If I am elected into the office of SGA vice president, I will do my best to continue and exceed the expectations that my predecessors have set in place. My goals as vice president are to assist the president when necessary and represent the student body properly when I am working with administrators and committees.

I know that I have what it takes to be a successful vice president. All I need now is your vote!


Academic Fund Board Chairperson

Matthew Bryan
As the academic fund board chairperson, I intend to do my best at making sure that funds get distributed appropriately to programs and individuals requiring resources for an academic goal. I will oversee the position with fairness and open-mindedness and heavily take into consideration how the request will benefit the school and the organization.

Kelsey Williams
I am a junior biology major with a focus in pre-medicine. I am a member of Sigma Alpha Pi and have been involved with the Student Activities Board since my freshman year, beginning as the chair-in-training. I have been the vice president of SAB for three semesters and have served as the board's SGA representative. Because of my experiences at the University, I am an excellent candidate for the Academic Fund Board chairperson. My experience as an SGA representative has allowed me to hear grant requests and understand how the process can work. Additionally, I have proven to be highly organized and an effective communicator, traits that are vital for the position. My abilities to look at a situation from every angle and value input from others will allow me to provide a strong base for the newly created Academic Fund Board.


Student Elected Trustee

Patrick Hayden
Devoting over 500 hours in service to the student body, I have served as Student Government president for the last two years – the first two-year appointment in the history of the University. During this time, I have worked closely with trustees and administrators gaining an understanding of institutional processes and a respect for the political landscape. Some notable changes to the student experience during my tenure as president of Student Government include:

• Vital and continual input on behalf of students in University decisions;
• $125,000 more per year for student activities;
• Chrome and Firefox on University computers; and
• Color chalking on campus.

As Student Elected Trustee, I will strive to improve communication between students, administration and trustees, mentor and support future Student Government officers, work with student government to establish accountability regarding the allocation of Student Activity funds, and, in all my efforts, serve as an advocate for the student body.

Molli Keller
I am an organizational communication major, serve as the Head Resident for Schroeder Hall, and participate in the Resident Students Association as a co-advisor. Through my involvement, one can see that the University of Evansville holds a dear place in my heart and I can't think of a bigger honor than to voice the interests of UE students on the Board of Trustees as the Student-Elected Trustee. If elected, I will make a point to gather any information I can from students before attending the Board of Trustee meetings to ensure that I accurately represent the student body. I am from Evansville and will be staying here after I graduate, so making myself available to students for chats or for the Board of Trustee meetings will not be an issue at all. I am a responsible, organized, and open minded individual who would love nothing more than to represent you!

Ernesto Rojas
If I were elected to be the Student Trustee, while representing all views and concerns of the student body, I would focus and direct the attention of the Board to three important areas: cultural enrichment, academics and career planning.

The international focus of the university can be further exploited to the benefit of everyone. With a record number of incoming international students this year, the opportunities to culturally enrich all students are vast. I commit to work intensely to promote the exchange of cultures on campus.

Throughout my college career I have been able to see some of the strengths and weaknesses of different academic departments at the school. If elected, I would strive to continually improve the school's academics.
Finally, I would like to create awareness of the importance of career planning and formulate ideas to continually improve the school's career services (E.g. specialization of career advice by majors).

Nathan Stamps
Hello, my name is Nathan Stamps and I would greatly appreciate your vote enabling me to serve you as the Senior Trustee.  Basically this position was developed to give the student body some representation on the Board of Trustees.  This allows student interests and concerns to be voiced before the board.  This position needs someone that is in tune with the university’s strengths as well as its weaknesses, someone that can represent the majority opinion of the student body, and someone that can assist in the university’s vision to improve the student experience.  I feel that I can fulfill these roles effectively and be a pragmatic student representative.  I’ve been involved with a wide range of organizations on campus ranging from Greek Life to Kappa Chi.  In addition I feel I have developed a range of relations within the student population to represent it well.  Thank you for your consideration.

Alan Vandagriff
I am a senior math and economics major, running for the Student-Elected Trustee position. The Student-Elected Trustee is responsible for representing the interests of the current student body and recent alumni on the Board of Trustees.

• I have served two years on the Student Congress Executive Board as CFO in 2012-2013 and CEO in 2013-2014
• During my time working in Student Congress, my accomplishments include helping restructure and wind-down the Student Fitness Center contract and the creation of the Academic Fund Board, which beginning next year will provide $60,000+ in funding to students and student organizations for academic research, attending conferences, professional development, and related needs.
• Through my service in Student Congress, I have worked and built relationships with senior administrators and current UE trustees that would help make me a more effective representative of student interests on the Board of Trustees.

Sam Wathen
With experience in Residence Life, Student Activities Board, and SGA, Sam Wathen has dedicated several years of his life to improving and making the University of Evansville a better institution for its students, and making sure the administration understands and provides what college students need to be at home on UE's campus. UE Life isn't just about gaining an education and moving on, and it's crucial to get that message across to students and board members alike. With several experiences working on boards in high school, and having an understanding of students and campus, Sam is a perfect fit for the Student-Elected Board of Trustee.