New executive team prepares for office

Student body presidential elections have concluded, and the elected candidates are now putting in place the framework for next year. From hiring a new staff to overcoming the excitement associated with having won, Luke Brodeur and Jace Beehler are keeping themselves busy in an attempt to feel confident and comfortable the day they are sworn in.

Brodeur, the president-elect, says that the obligation associated with the presidential position is guiding much of what he is doing now.

"The initial reaction was obviously some relief that the election process was over. But I think ultimately it gave us a feeling of responsibility," Brodeur said. "The student body selected us to take on these roles for next year, and it's up to us to do everything we possibly can to make NDSU better than it's ever been before."

The first thing Brodeur and Beehler are working on is filling the open executive positions. These are the people who will work alongside the president and vice president, managing various niches of student government's domain.

"These are 10 people that will be absolutely vital for the success of the university next year. We've already started to lay the groundwork for our platform, but the biggest thing we need to do right now is put together a team that is going to set us up for success," Brodeur said.

While hiring is taking place, Beehler says that he and Brodur are meeting with people across campus in order to prepare for the responsibility of leading them.

"We have scheduled meetings with both Cam and Keenan, as well as other university officials, to make sure that we are ready to serve the students the day we are sworn in," Beehler said.

Besides building the framework for next year, Beehler says that overcoming the excitement associated with having won has been a unique experience.

"I was overwhelmed by the tremendous opportunity that was given to us, and now I am extremely excited to work with Luke and the rest of the students, faculty and staff to improve all aspects of our university," Beehler said.

Though Brodeur and Beehler won the election, they still acknowledge the efforts of their opponents, Mike Paolini and Sydney Hull.

"We felt great about our incredibly hard-working team and all that we had done, but Mike and Syd deserve a lot of credit. We never allowed ourselves to get comfortable because they were doing a lot of good things," Brodeur said.

Applications for the open executive positions are Due Friday by 5 p.m. Applications can be found at https://orgsync.com/22012/forms/show/48332 .