Undergraduate Student Government will hold elections for its fall 2016 council beginning Tuesday, April 26.

Mayzer Muhammad, executive president

Mayzer Muhammad is running uncontested for executive president, and three students, Tobias Knight, Reid Pettersen, and Sarah Schuler, are competing for the executive vice president position.

Muhammad is a junior majoring in biology of global health. He is currently the Off-Campus Student Services representative at USG, the president of the Muslim Student Association, an apartment coordinator for Flynn Hall and served as an orientation leader last summer.

Muhammad’s running mate is sophomore Knight. The students’ campaign slogan is “breaking barriers and building a better future.”

Muhammad wants to forge a stronger bond between the student body and USG by giving students a bigger opportunity to voice their opinions and give input.

“One thing I really wanted to do was involve the first-years as much as I can to get fresh ideas and input, but at the same time (involve) the juniors and seniors who have more experience and know the ins and outs,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad will take the reins as president following some campus-wide contention over the re-branding campaign, diversity issues and more. As president, he said he will work to make sure students are informed about future changes while also ensuring all voices are heard.

“I want to, if some kind of major changes are happening, really try to get out the word to students as much as possible, trying to really vocalize that these are changes that are happening and we want your input,” Muhammad said.

Tobias Knight, executive vice president

Knight, a finance major and the current sophomore class senator, emphasized how his involvement in various clubs and organizations makes him attune to the needs of the student body.

Knight is a member of Concert Choir, Investment Club, Black Empowerment Student Association and is on the football and track and field teams. He has also studied abroad in Peru, the Dominican Republic and Italy in his two years at St. Thomas.

“We want USG to reflect the students, and I have all of this involvement and all of this experience in which I’ve met a diverse amount of students. There is a different kind of student that fits each of these activities and clubs, so I’m kind of meeting the whole campus,” Knight said.

Reid Pettersen, executive vice president

Pettersen, a junior majoring in entrepreneurship, has not been part of USG in the past, but he hopes to make a “positive change” on campus in his senior year as executive vice president.

“I have a real big passion for this school and the people and the staff here, and I want to represent them and their passions and what they want for this university,” Pettersen said.

Pettersen is taking one course this semester while working 40 hours per week doing public relations and marketing for the Minnesota Mechanical Contractors Association. He said he wants to be as involved as possible when he returns as a full-time senior.

“I don’t like to sit back and take it easy; I like to keep myself busy. Life is most fulfilling when I am busy,” Pettersen said. “I figured, Why not?, with student government. That would be a great opportunity to stay busy and make change around here.”

Pettersen hopes to prove his high level of commitment to the student body.

“I plan to put all my effort forward in the time that I have and give it my best shot,” Pettersen said. “This university has played a big role in my life, and I want to give back to it; I want to make positive change in the future.”

Sarah Schuler, executive vice president

Schuler, a sophomore entrepreneurship and leadership and management double major who has been a member of USG for two years, said her experience in the senate inspired her to run for executive vice president.

Last year, Schuler was the freshman residential senator, and last semester, she was the Merriam Park neighborhood senator. She currently acts as a proxy for USG members who cannot attend general council meetings.

“Proxies don’t have a title. Honestly, I’m not doing student government for the title… I’m really doing it just because I’m so passionate about making positive change for the school,” Schuler said. “It’s been fun to take a back seat this semester and observe how student government runs rather than be part of it.”

To make sure students feel USG is listening to their concerns, Schuler said she hopes to enact changes like “Bring a Friend to Senate Day” or create a suggestion box for the student population to contribute ideas.

“The strong relationships between student groups and USG and the students we represent is my biggest concern,” Schuler said.

The elections page of USG’s website lists 21 other candidates running for various positions in the council. Students will be emailed a link on Tuesday to vote, which will be open through Thursday.

Sophie Carson can be reached at sophia.carson@stthomas.edu.