John Wetmore, candidate for senator governmental affairs, is no stranger to campus leadership.

He has been president of Sigma Chi fraternity for the past two years, and a member at-large of both the Undergraduate Student Senate Allocations Committee and Student Input Advisory Committee for the past year. He said he has seen past student senates, which has given him the knowledge he needs to achieve his goals.

“I really want to affect change in a positive way in this university,” Wetmore said. “I think government affairs is a great avenue to do that.”

John Wetmore • Junior human development and family studies major from Canton • President of Sigma Chi fraternity • Part of USS Allocations Committee • Wants to increase voter registration • Will to push for college-friendly laws • Would like to work for tax-free textbooks • Wants to create a legal, university-sponsored file-sharing system

One of the changes he said he hopes to make is increasing voter registration at the university. He said he plans to do this through a grassroots campaign, by attending student organization meetings and offering a means to register to vote. Wetmore also said he would work with Transportation Services to provide free transportation for voters to their voting sites on Election Day.

Another important goal, Wetmore said, is to work with the Inter-University Council of Ohio to lobby for college student-friendly legislation. He said students at the University of Texas worked to have tax-free textbooks, and Wetmore would like to see a similar idea in place at Kent State.

With Kent State’s ranking as one of the top offenders in illegal file-sharing, he said he would like to develop a legal, university-sponsored system for free or at a low cost.

Wetmore’s other goals include attending student organization meetings to gauge any assistance they may need and holding forums to discuss current political issues. In addition, he said he would like to bring in speakers of all different backgrounds and political ideologies.

“While there is a wide array of speakers that already come to Kent State University, I believe we can do a better job representing all political beliefs, as well as different topics of discussion,” he said.

Wetmore said past student senates have been moving in the right directions, yet he has more detailed and student-oriented goals to offer. Ultimately, he hopes to work with the government to promote gradual and progressive change to make things more student friendly.

“These aren’t just words on paper,” he said. “They’re things I want to see happen.”

– Christina Stavale