During Wednesday’s Illinois Student Senate meeting, the three student trustee candidates spoke to the senate about their goals and reasons for running.

Junior in Business John Unrug spoke to the senate about his experiences at all three University of Illinois campuses. Unrug said he spoke to current student trustee and senior in LAS Chime Asonye about the position and believes he can make major changes.

“I know there’s over 1,000 student organizations and tens of thousands of students,” Unrug said. “And I can work hard and change things.”

Rob Main, junior in Business and student senator, spoke to the senate about his goals involving the Global Campus Initiative and increasing enrollment and retention rates of minorities. Main also said he wanted to make new and remodeled buildings more environmentally friendly.

“Every building that is either being built or remodeled should be environmentally friendly,” Main said.

Junior in LAS and former Illini Media Company employee Paul Schmitt spoke to the senators about his desired role in University changes. Schmitt said he wanted to increase the money gained from alumni contributions and fight for student causes.

The three candidates will engage in a debate sponsored by the student senate’s Governmental Affairs Committee on Monday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. in the Illini Union Pine Lounge.

Dustin Schrader, student senator and senior in LAS addressed the senate about the Governmental Affairs Committee’s work with the Champaign City Council in redrawing the city’s ward lines.

If approved by the city council, Schrader said the city would create a student ward consisting of more than 9,000 students with a student representative to the city council.

Other meeting topics

– Passed a resolution encouraging the Illinois General Assembly to pass a bill that requires the state to provide at least 20 percent of the University’s annual budget

– Created a new senate logo, which will be used next fall