14 new voting senators on student government bring new opportunities
Truman State University Student Government entered the 2025 fall semester with only 10 returning members. A strong recruiting effort and increased engagement in the fall semester has led to 14 new voting senators, with some of the senators coming from the freshman class, while others were upperclassmen who recently decided to get involved.
Student Government Vice President Ben Croat said this semester has been a rebuilding year for the student government, with the new faces playing a key role in accomplishing their goals during the closing fall semester.
“It was a lot of appointing new faces, getting people integrated into what student government does and what student government is,” Croat said.
Student Government President Alex Peterson agreed but made it clear that these new members have hit the ground running and have contributed to students attending Truman.
Peterson said the new members didn’t face direct issues or create difficulties with the structure of the student government. However, it was a learning experience for all involved.
“It’s a lot of navigating how we had envisioned projects or how we had things that we wanted to accomplish, versus having new members who have these different ideas,” Peterson said. “It challenges us to kind of think differently. Finding new ways to communicate, finding new ways to be more specific with how you’re laying out expectations and whatnot, which is understandable and I think a growing experience for everyone. I think it pushes us to be stronger leaders.”
The new senators have made strides in tangible ways with the student government and plans to continue to improve campus life, along with building connections with the local Kirksville community.
A project Peterson said she was proud of was the return of the Bulldog Bites to the student government for External Affairs, hosted by freshman senator Hanna O’Rourke. Bulldog Bites was hosted last year by senator Croat at the end of the fall semester, where the host would review a local restaurant or food truck.
Next semester, Peterson said the student government will have many projects that need to be pushed to the spring semester, including pet sanitation stations, increase transparency from student funded groups and improve the labyrinth by the bike co-op to help improve mindfulness. They plan to plant Missouri wildflowers and install benches to help students ground themselves in the past student government project.
