From the launch of the Green Dot initiative, a productive Board of Regents meeting and the introduction of more than twenty new members, Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) has had a busy first month of fall semester advocating for UNI’s students and campus community.

Board of Regents Meeting Highlights

The Board of Regents, the governing body for all three state universities in the state of Iowa, met on UNI’s campus Sept. 14 and 15 to discuss everything from facilities management to academic affairs. The following items are highlights from that meeting.

UNI has requested approval to replace the UNI-Dome fabric roof for $8 million through private donations, gifts and athletic funds. This project is expected to begin in 2023, and the roof will have an estimated lifespan of 20 to 25 years. 

All three regent universities (Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa) all stressed the shift to virtual learning and how that has impacted the facility needs coming out of the pandemic.

President Nook requested an $8 million increase request to the FY 2023 budget allocation for UNI. $4 million of that money would be for tuition differentiation, and $4 million for Educators for Iowa. Additionally. $2 million was requested to expand an additional four community college partnerships through UNI, and $400,000 for various economic development projects.

Additionally, after members of NISG and the other student governments from Iowa and Iowa State spoke with the Board of Regents, the board requested an additional $1 million to their FY 2024 appropriations requests from the state legislature to be used specifically for mental health on our campuses. If approved, this funding will be split between the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and University of Northern Iowa. 

The Academic Affairs Committee noted all three public universities are currently experiencing a student worker shortage in residence halls, dining halls and other areas around campus. 

2022 enrollment numbers were also discussed, with UNI’s total enrollment being 8,949 students. UNI’s first year class reached 2,200 students, including 764 transfers. UNI continues to offer the lowest tuition rates among the state’s three universities. 

New Student Organization Approved

NISG voted to approve a new student organization called the Panther Clubhouse which seeks to bring all Disney lovers together and share their love of all things Disney related.

Resolutions Passed

Resolutions are created to officially recognize or commemorate certain events, holidays or important programs. During the month of September, a resolution passed recognizing Green Dot Week and their launch event, along with a resolution in support of the textbook equity initiative spearheaded by Marie Anne Gruber and finally a resolution in recognition of International Peace Day Sept. 21 was passed.

Bills Passed

From the UNI Baseball Club, Winterguard or the Public Relations Student Society of America, NISG passed several bills to help fund certain student organizations across campus. To receive more information about how to get student organization funding from NISG, visit nisg.uni.edu and under the “Student Organizations” tab, click “funding.” 

New Board of Directors Sworn In

NISG gained nine new Board of Directors this month. Board of Directors are an integral part of student government and work to improve specific areas of campus. 

Christian Kreger: Director of Gender Violence Prevention

Jacob McGrane: Director of Military and Veteran Affairs

Lizbeth Montalvo: Director of Mental Health

Kehde Campbell: Director of Residence Life

Luigi Lopez: Director of Racial and Ethnic Affairs

Trevor Meyers: Director of Transfer Students 

Nneoma Nnaji: Director of International Student Affairs

Rachel Bass: Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life

Kylie Rink: Director of First Year Students

Kerrigan Levi: Director of Sustainability

New Senators Sworn In

Senators of NISG serve to represent senators’ respective colleges and the student body as a whole. During the month of September, seven new Senators joined the ranks of NISG.

Cooper Messina: College of Social and Behavioral Sciences 

Grant Pedersen: College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Joshua Walsh: College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Claire Schadl: College of Business Administration

Mason Miller: College of Business Administration 

Christelle Tungu: College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Hattie Dukes: College of Education 

Associate Justices

Associate Justices help to regulate all NISG and student protocols, and they act as the Election Commission during campaign season each spring. This September, NISG welcomed two new associate justices into the judicial branch: Aaron Burger and Alma Hodzic.