Janine Johnston / Andrew Fries
Student leaders cite experience, duty as reason for campaign

Janine Johnston
Presidential candidate
Major: Nursing
Occupation: Team manager, Burgerville
Leadership experience: Administrative chair for SAB, Director of Community Affairs for ASG
Compares leadership to: Friends, family, fellow students....		 Andrew Fries
Vice presidential candidate
Major: Biology
Occupation: Student
Leadership experience: Student senator, Health and Wellness coordinator for SAB
Compares leadership to: Barack Obama

A sense of duty was given as the reason presidential candidate Janine Johnston and vice presidential candidate Andrew Fries decided to run for ASG office.

Both are active members of ASG and they say experience in the legislative and executive processes will aid them in their goal to increase student services and unify the student body.

“College should be more than just going to class and doing homework,” said Fries, a former student senator and current health and wellness coordinator for the Student Activities Board. Fries said his participation in planning activities this year will help in his goal to perform student services on a “much grander scale” and that his time as a student senator would help him the most in leading student senate as vice president.

“I’ve seen the patience and understanding it takes to run a meeting with 15 or more people with very different viewpoints than my own,” he said.

Director of community affairs for ASG, Johnston echoed support for ASG programs such as Barney’s Pantry, Book Consignment and Welcome Week, saying they all impact the common student.

“MHCC has a very diverse population and it is important to find out what they are looking for from the ASG,” she said. She added that representing the interests of students to campus administrators and state legislators is an important role for a student government executive, saying, “An elected ASG leader stands as the voice for our student body, and that person must have the persistence and ability to stand up for what our students need.”

And standing up to state legislators is something both say they are prepared to do by funding the Oregon Student Association and personally going to Salem to lobby, which Johnston has done already in Washington, D.C.

“As president, I hope to unify students so that together we can effectively accomplish our goals,” said Johnston.