Benjamin Strand/ Winonan

It is the beginning of a new year at Winona State University, and many fresh faces fill the seats of Student Senate, as well as many new ideas to improve Winona State.

A bigger presence on campus is one of the primary goals of the Student Senate this year.

Student Senate president Jessica Hepinstall said they have plans to make campus events and campaigns more attractive and fun for Winona State students.

“People a lot of times think things related to the Student Senate are boring,” Hepinstall said, “but we also like to have fun, and we want to show the students we know how to do that.”

With the university theme this year being “Sustainable Futures,” Student Senate has a few ideas to contribute toward that theme.

One idea in the works for some time now is called the “Green Fee.”

Hepinstall said Student Senate started surveying students on how they would feel about contributing a small fee toward a fund to help make Winona State more sustainable for the future.

The fund would be used strictly make Winona State the most efficient and “green” campus possible, Hepinstall said.

Not many students were fond about the payment being mandatory, but when asked if it were made optional, a majority responded positively.

Hepinstall said it was not a major topic of discussion or interest among students one or two years ago, but now it has become more popular.

“More of the students at WSU now are ‘green minded’ or are aware of the benefits of ‘going green,’ and want to help contribute to that cause,” Hepinstall said.

The idea of the “Green Fee” is still in the early stages of development, but Hepinstall said they could have it set to go, at the earliest, by fall semester next year.

Another topic the Student Senate has on their agenda is increasing the awareness about midterm elections.

With midterm elections coming up in November, Hepinstall said they are focused on trying to “get out the vote” and get more students involved with the election process.

“Mid-term elections are more important than many people think, they have an impact on us, and we want to help get students more involved,” Hepinstall said.

Hepinstall said Student Senate also has plans to work much more with the capital, as well as our local government.

“It’s a budgeting year at the capital, and we want to make sure we work closely with them on how our money is being spent,” Hepinstall said.

Hepinstall said working closer with the local and state governments is important to the continued improvement of Winona State, as well as getting more involved with the students.