Student Senate elections started at 8 a.m. on October 12 and will continue until 5 p.m. on Friday, October 16.

In the interest of informing the public, The Round Up/Oncore Magazine has compiled information about the senatorial candidates from the website of the Associated Students of New Mexico State University.

The candidates for the College of Arts and Sciences:

Danielle Ceballes (incumbent, appointed) is a senior double majoring in Government and Law & Society, and minoring in Public Law. She has interned twice in Washington, D.C, and hopes to return after graduating to attend law school. She was appointed to Senate in Spring 2015. Currently, she is a presidential ambassador, as well as an ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences. She has worked on ASNMSU’s Law Book Committee, which serves to establish the laws by which ASNMSU operates, and she currently serves on the Rules Committee, which serves to pass or veto proposed bills. She advocates “for academic success and extracurricular involvement.”

Joseph Cairns (incumbent) is triple majoring in Government, Criminal Justice, and Law & Society. He intends on attending law school after graduating, in the hopes of becoming a criminal prosecutor. He previously served as interim senator for the college, serving on the Alcohol Review Board and the Sustainability Board, and currently serves as the chairmanfor the Rules Committee, ensuring all bills are consistent with the ASNMSU law book. If reelected, he says student advocacy and interests are his “number one priority.”

DeLorean L. Forbes (incumbent) is a sophomore majoring in Government. He intends to pursue a law degree after graduating. He is vying for reelection to student Senate in the position of Senior Senator. He says he appreciates meeting new people and wants to advocate “on behalf of students for years to come, if elected.”

Sante Guajardo is a freshman majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications. He is a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He says he wants to be a strong voice within ASNMSU, and impact NMSU by relating ideas from the college to student government.

*Disclaimer: In the interest of transparency, Sante Guajardo is a staff writer for The Round Up/Oncore Magazine.

William Jones is a sophomore studying Government and History. He says his time as a Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps will benefit ASNMSU. He says he will bring “adaptability and hard work” to the role of senator.

Taniha Meraz is a junior majoring in Criminal Justice. She intends to attend graduate school to earn a master’s degree in International Relations. If elected senator, she says she would advocate for transparency in all her work, and to serve as a liaison between students and ASNMSU. She says student participation in all programs in the college will result in “better understanding between the students and their government,” as well as address student concerns “in a more personal manner.”

Emerson Morrow is a Journalism and Mass Communications major, attending NMSU as a President’s Associates Excellence Scholar. He previously interned for Congressman Ben Ray Luján and worked in the Youth Leadership Team for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. He says he hopes to use his experiences on Capitol Hill to create a better college experience for students at NMSU.

Addi Moya is a sophomore majoring in biology, with the hopes of becoming a surgeon in sports medicine. A member of Sigma Chi fraternity and operator of an online business, he says he has excellent time management skills and can break down “any daunting task” into “achievable parts.” As senator, he says he would like to unite student organizations and students.

The candidates for the College of Business:

Kevin Prieto (incumbent) has served as senator for almost two semesters. He currently serves as the chairman of the Community Affairs Committee. He says he hopes to be reelected in order to carry on the projects he has already started.

Jared Taylor is a fourth-year student majoring in Business Marketing, PGA Option. He is an affiliate of the Professional Golf Association. He says he wants to help students at NMSU enjoy their college experience as much as he has.

The following candidate is seeking reelection for the College of Education:

Patrick Alcala (incumbent) is a senior majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Early Childhood Education. He has served as a senator for the college for the last two years, working to fund a number of organizations, as well as re-chartering the College of Education Student Council. He says he is very persistent in accomplishing any goal he is presented. He is trained in suicide prevention and says he wants to be the voice of every student in the college.

The following candidate is seeking reelection for the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences:

Shayna Gallacher (incumbent) is a sophomore studying Agricultural Business and Economics. In addition to her senatorial work, she also serves as an ambassador for the college, and the parliamentarian for student Senate. She previously served as the 2013-2014 vice-president and District III president for the New Mexico State Future Farmers of America Association. She says she wants “to bridge the communication gap between our student government and the individuals that I would represent.”

The candidates for the College of Engineering:

Stephen Jenkins has served as an ambassador for the college for the last three semesters. This role, he says, has made him aware of the needs of each department in the college. As senator, he says he hopes to inspire students.

Victor Lara currently serves as president of NMSU’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and has previously worked extensively with senators in his college in writing bills.

The candidates for the College of Health and Social Services:

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Chris Olsson is a junior in NMSU’s Social Work program. He describes himself as very responsible and a good communicator.

Jorge Sanchez is a senior majoring in Social Work and minoring in Psychology. He has been at NMSU for two academic years, and has served as treasurer for the college council. As senator, he says he hopes to promote awareness of his college’s presence on campus.

The candidates for the Graduate School:

John Dennem (incumbent) says he chose to run for senate in order to be of service to the students of NMSU. He is retired from the U.S. Navy and speaks English and Spanish.

Nima Dehkordi is studying for his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, emphasizing in Partial Differential Equations. He is also pursuing a master’s degree in Financial Mathematics and a minor in Finance. He serves in the executive bodies of the Graduate Students and Iranian Students Organizations. He specifically hopes to aid graduate students in financial difficulties.

Trevor Harris is studying Communication Disorders, previously attending NMSU as an undergraduate, during which time he served two terms as a senator for the College of Education. In this previous capacity, he served on the Student Advocacy Board, the Student Technology Advisory Committee, and as chairman for ASNMSU’s Finance Committee. He currently serves as treasurer of the Graduate Student Council.

Ali Nasirian (incumbent) is a senior graduate senator pursuing his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. He serves as chairman of the Finance Committee, ensuring funding is fairly appropriated. If reelected as senator, he says he will get graduate students their funding more conveniently, continue working on reforming graduate assistant health insurance, and addressing salary concerns.

To vote for senators in your college, go to vote.nmsu.edu, and visit nmsuroundup.wordpress.com to read our post-election coverage of the elected senators!