(photo taken by Dorcas Amunazo)

(From left to right: Andrew Stubenhofer, Julian Wiseman, Meagan Doorley)

Three new senators were inducted into Behrend’s Student Government Association on Oct. 8. President Abby Napierski called the three new senators to the front of the room and led them through their oath. This granted them the authority to participate in the following votes over the course of the meeting. Three senator seats are held open for first-year students each year, and this fall they were filled by Meagan Doorley, Andrew Stubenhofer, and Julian Wiseman. All three are eager to represent Behrend’s students.

Meagan Doorley has a lifelong passion for helping people. She joined student government to “make sure that underrepresented groups of people are able to be represented”. This semester she hopes to voice the concerns of individuals who feel unheard.

Julian Wiseman is a transfer student from Gannon University. Wiseman was greatly involved at Gannon and wanted to continue this trend at Penn State Behrend. He chose student government specifically because “this felt like a really good opportunity for me to make an impact and really get involved with students”.

Andrew Stubenhofer has a large interest in government. As a two-time participant of Keystone Boys State, a government simulation with the American Legion, Stubenhofer met local and higher-level legislators. “I’ve always had a knack for arguing, and politics is a good way to express myself,” says the new senator.

Stubenhofer did not wait to begin advocating for Behrend’s student body. He expressed concerns over the potential removal of Behrend’s Go-60 program. The program allows students over the age of 60 to take classes with no tuition cost. Currently, the webpage related to the program is no longer available on Behrend’s website. He plans to investigate further and work towards reinstatement if need be.  

Fall in-house elections have begun. Unlike the fall elections, interested students will not be elected by their fellow students, but by the Student Government Association. Seven spots remain to be filled. Interested students have until Oct. 20 to complete the election packet. The election will take place during the student government meeting on Oct. 22.

We here at the Beacon would like to congratulate the new senators on a successful election. Student government meetings are on Thursdays at 4:30 and are open to all Behrend students.