Student Senate Commissions
Getting down to work
Student Senate has ten commissions under the supervision and direction of the President, Vice President, and Personnel Director. These groups study issues affecting our campus in depth and make recommendations to the Student Senate concerning events and legislation. Much of the legislation the general senate votes upon originates from these commissions.
Each commission is chaired by a director who is responsible for the agendas, minutes, meeting time, meeting place, chair appointments, and recruitment of regular commission members.
Any student is eligible to join a commission and be a productive and valued member. All meetings are open to the public and students are encouraged to attend. More information on each commission can be found by clicking the links on the left.
The Academic Affairs Commission (AAC) represents student academic interests to the faculty, administration, and the UW system. It works as a liaison between students and administrators to ensure that students and their needs are being heard during the decision-making process. The commission has a strong hand in guiding the Blugold Commitment Differential Tuition (BCDT). BCDT is special tuition that ensures all UW-Eau Claire undergraduate students can participate in multiple high-impact practices, such as collaborative research, global and domestic immersion experiences, internships, capstones, and a variety of other experiences. In addition, funding also provides for several faculty and staff positions to support these endeavors. Simply put, it maintains and retains interactions between faculty and students by making them more engaged in the college.
The BCDT committee sits down every session and analyzes proposals and determines where the funding goes and ranks its priority. The administration organizes all awards based on a 5-year review cycle and the committee reviews the reports and makes recommendations for those changes.
Interested in working on an AAC project or joining BCDT? Click Here
Submitting an academic proposal
- Your Name (It will be kept anonymous unless otherwise specified)
- Concern (Please include the following: professor name, class, your email, and provide as much detail as possible)
- Submit!
- Once we have received your feedback; We will reach out to you if we have more questions or any updates!
Director: Dylan Baker
Email: stusen58@uwec.edu
The Communication Commission is vital to keeping the Student Senate in touch with the student body at large. By keeping the lines of communication between UW-Eau Claire students and their representative government wide open, the Communication Coordinator ensures that the Senate is serving the students' needs.
It is the job of the Communication Commission to promote all the activities and programs of Student Senate to the campus community. This involves creating and distributing promotional materials, interacting with on-and off-campus media, and representing Student Senate to the public. The Communication Commission also promotes the annual Student Senate election, and endeavors to make Senate's mission and purpose more widely known.
Blu's Bulletin
Student Senate in partnership with the Activities, Involvement, & Leadership Office publishes Blu's Bulletin, a one-page flyer that advertises upcoming events that is hung up in the Davies Center. Any student organization can submit designs to stusen59@uwec.edu as a PDF file size 5.25 inches x 4 inches.
Motivation Mondays: Starting your week off right!
Motivation Mondays are setting the stage for a vibrant start to your week. This initiative is more than just a place for free pick-me-ups; it's a cornerstone of community and positivity at the outset of each week. By engaging in with Senate representatives and local organizations/ services, students are welcomed into a supportive space designed to uplift and motivate. We're also passionate about sustainability, encouraging students to bring their own mugs as part of our eco-friendly mission.
If your group is interested in co-hosting an event, bringing new ideas, or sharing initiatives that can benefit the student community, we'd love to hear from you. Reach out to the Communications Director to explore how we can work together to make these Mondays even more impactful. Together, we're building a stronger, more connected community—one Monday at a time.
Director: Reagan Jimenez
Email: stusen59@uwec.edu
The Equity in Student Matters Commission (ESM) was created as a resource and as the access point for the students of marginalized identities on this campus. We will be responsible for promoting change within the institution at UW-Eau Claire to ensure equity of outcome for its students.
Together, we will work within the University to ensure that the students of marginalized identities on this campus receive the appropriate resources and support to make them successful while they are here and after they graduate.
These identities include (but are not limited to): students of color, non-traditional students, Veteran students, students who identify as LGBTQ+, students with disabilities, international students, students who come from low-income families or are low-income.
Senate Director: Nellly Christelle
Student Director: Angie Elizalde
Email: esm@uwec.edu
At the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire per Wisconsin State Statute 36.09(5), students shall have the primary responsibility of allocating student segregated fees. At UW-Eau Claire, this is the Student Senate Finance Commission’s job. Their purpose is to allocate all allocable segregated fees to organized activities, make thorough recommendations to the Chancellor for all non-allocable segregated fees, and help student organizations in unforeseen circumstances with special allocations.
At UW-Eau Claire, the allocable amount of fees is roughly $1.3 million. Allocable segregated fees from each student's tuition makes up the Organized Activities budget, and the finance commission's main responsibility is to determine where and how these fees are allocated. Organized Activities present their budgets to the Finance Commission every October. The public is encouraged to attend the budget hearings. After hearings and deliberations (usually set for early November), the Finance Commission submits a budget bill for the Student Senate to vote on and approve in mid-February. Student Senate then passes these recommendations to the Chancellor for final approval.
The non-allocable amount of fees is roughly $10.7 million. Non-allocable segregated fees from each student's tuition makes up the non-allocable segregated fees Organized Activities budget, and the finance commission's main responsibility is to determine how student would like to see these fees allocated. These Organized Activities present their budgets to the Finance Commission every spring. The public is encouraged to attend the budget hearings. After hearings and deliberations. The Finance Commission submits a budget recommendation resolution for the Student Senate to vote on and approve. Student Senate then passes these recommendations to the Chancellor.
Lastly, the Student Senate Finance Commission does Special Allocations. Occasionally, an Organized Activity may have an unexpected circumstance occur which will change the level of funding needed for a program during a fiscal year. An unallocated portion of the Organized Activities Budget is held in reserve to enable the Finance Commission and Student Senate to consider cases in which additional funding is deemed appropriate and necessary. These special allocations of funds to Organized Activities are not to be recurring in nature.
Director: Cole Morehouse
Email: stusen53@uwec.edu
The Information Technology Commission (ITC) oversees the expenditure of the Student Technology Fee and represents students' information technology needs. ITC serves as a liaison between students, administration, Learning and Technology Services, and the McIntyre Library to address technology and information access issues. It is ITC's goal to maintain a high quality information technology environment for students through both policy and purchases.
ITC sets aside $100,000 per year for Innovative Programs that improve student's tech experience. Submit your ITC Proposal and feel free to ask any questions you have at ITC@uwec.edu
Director: Kyler Simonet
Email: ITC@uwec.edu
The Intergovernmental Affairs Commission (IGA) works with members of other legislative bodies of the UW system, the city of Eau Claire, and the state of Wisconsin to represent the UW-Eau Claire student body. It may take positions on national, state, and local laws that affect students at UW-Eau Claire, and advocate on behalf of students to advance the quality of their place in the community.
The commission continuously informs and educates students about the electoral and legislative processes that affect them, and facilitates voter registration and "Get Out the Vote" efforts. Members of IGA regularly attend neighborhood association and Eau Claire City Council meetings.
This commission monitors the city, county, and state legislatures, and seeks to build relationships with elected representatives to create positive change. Through constant engagement and grassroots organization, IGA seeks to strengthen the power of students.
Director: Brenna Strojinc
Email: stusen50@uwec.edu
Resources:
The Student Health and Wellness Commission (SHW) serves as the liaison on all initiative relating to the Study Body’s health and wellbeing. The SHW shall be responsible for communicating with University Administration, the Universities of Wisconsin, and departments across campus to ensure that student’s health and wellness are being prioritized. Student Health and Wellness
SHW shall be the liaison between the following departments and the student body. It is their responsibility to ensure students are up to date on initiatives within these departments and will provide insight into student concerns when they arise;
Services for Students with Disabilities, Student Health Services, Counseling Services, Dining, Housing, Recreation, Campus Food Pantry/Campus Closet, Veterans Services, College of Nursing, College of Health and Human Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business
Senate Director: Kaitlyn Hevrin
Email:
The purpose of the Student Office of Sustainability (SOS) is to allocate the UW-Eau Claire Green Fund for projects, programs, and events addressing the various sustainability areas of transportation, energy, waste, climate change, water, food systems, campus ecology, education, and outreach. This is done through the collaboration of UW-Eau Claire students, faculty, staff, and administration whose collective efforts generate positive behavioral and infrastructural changes that serve to support the growth of our University as a sustainable institution.
New to the word "sustainability?" No worries! Our office defines sustainability as the intersection of environmental health, economic prosperity, and social wellbeing.
Visit the S.O.S. website for more details about the initiatives and ways to get involved.
Senate Director: Madi Schafman
Student Director: Jake Hicks
Email: stusen65@uwec.edu
The Student Organizations Commission (SOC) serves as the link from Student Senate to student organizations on campus. This commission works with organizations during their founding to help them draft constitutions, become officially recognized organizations, offer workshops and outreach, and apply for funding via the Segregated Fee Funding process. The commission also oversees the Annual Student Organization Re-Registration process. The commission assists with the Blu's Organizations Bash each semester as well as the Annual Student Organization Leaders Training. Additionally, the Student Organizations Commission is responsible for hosting student organization budget presentations and recommending to the Finance Commission the level of support student organizations receive from segregated fees.
Students wishing to create, re-register, request a name change, or reactivate a student organization must submit a Group Registration form within Blugold Connect+ - this will require the petitioning organization to answer the required UWEC constitution questions by using the formatted constitution fields that follow current guidelines, retain a current UWEC faculty/staff adviser, and have a minimum of 4 members to start. For more information, contact the Student Organizations Commission Director, visit the Student Senate office, or the Activities, Involvement, and Leadership office (Davies 220).
Director: Tia Beirne
Email: stusen52@uwec.edu
Resources:
The University Activities Commission (UAC) of the Student Senate is the campus-wide events programming board at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Student programmers select, promote and produce a wide variety of cultural, educational and entertainment programs for the university community.
An all-volunteer, award-winning commission of the Student Senate, the University Activities Commission receives part of the segregated student fee budget to support its activities, which means that UW-Eau Claire students may attend UAC programs at no charge or at significantly reduced cost.
Visit the UAC website for details about UAC events, and ways to get involved.
Senate Director: Zach Cardille
Email: uac@uwec.edu
Blu is the official student body mascot of UW-Eau Claire. They became part of the Blugold family in 2013 as part of a student-led initiative to increase school spirit and finally bring a mascot to the university after almost a century without one. Uniquely, Blu is the only mascot of the Universities of Wisconsin that is owned by the student body and managed through the Student Senate.
Blu loves to connect with fellow Blugolds, although they do not speak, they are always willing to snap a pic or two. You can often see them around the UW-Eau Claire Campus and in the Eau Claire Community. Feel free to say hello when you see them!
Booking Blu
Want Blu at your next event? Send them an invite using the form below. Blu loves to make an appearance at both Campus and Community Events. Requests must be made two weeks in advance of the event date.
Reserve Blu
Coordinator: Maddie Podolinsky
email: stusen66@uwec.edu
The Housing Coordinator serves as the advocate and contact point for student housing both on and off campus. They work collaboratively with other Housing and Residence Life staff, including the Residence Hall Association, as well as landlords and city officials to ensure students have equitable housing.
Coordinator: Evan Frawley
Email: