Elections for Keene State’s student government, student assembly and class positions will open on April 15. Petitions were open from March 30 to April 10, which gave candidates the opportunity to select the role they would like to run for and provide a brief explanation of who they are and what their intentions are if elected.
According to junior student assembly speaker Amanda Rotigliano, all student government, student assembly and class positions for the 2026-2027 academic year are available. Those currently holding a role must run again if they want to remain in that same position or apply for an alternative.
In addition to being the student assembly speaker, Rotigliano is the secretary for the class of 2027. Rotigliano said that while the roles don’t overlap much, they enable her to keep her class aware of things going on around campus.
Rotigliano said her work with the assembly and student government helped her improve her public speaking and communication skills, especially with those in higher-up administrative positions. Rotigliano also said that she enjoyed getting to plan events, such as the annual Spring Carnival and Pumpkin Palooza, because she was able to see students have a good experience on campus.
Junior Kylie Nelson, current student body president, said that her role improved her ability to stay on top of different tasks and remain organized.
“I’m currently student teaching, and this [role] has actually been super helpful when writing professional emails or reaching out to companies to see if they want to work with us,” Nelson said.
Rotigliano described being in student government as being “a face of the school.” She said those holding a role would serve as “a person people can recognize and talk to if they have a problem,” as well as a person that KSC Interim President Don Birx, the Board of Trustees or student trustees could refer to.
When asked why student government is important, Nelson said, “People in those positions want to be leaders and voices for students who might not have the time, energy or will, but they still have concerns and questions about campus. It gives us a community where we can be helpful and share their concerns directly to departments.”
Rotigliano said that voting was just as important as running for a position, as it’s “a good way to get your voice heard and make sure you have students representing you who will take their role seriously. Voting can help make sure campus is running the way you want it to.”
Both Rotigliano and Nelson have been working on election promotion through new marketing techniques. Videos featuring current position holders explaining their role have been posted on the student government’s Instagram, and a variety of posters have been posted across campus.
Rotigliano said that they want to give students who might be unfamiliar with what student government entails some insight into what each position requires, including the time commitment and varying responsibilities.
Nelson added that if a student wants to find the specific responsibilities of a role they are interested in, they can do so through the student government’s OwlNet page, where the organization’s constitution is available for viewing.
The student assembly, according to Rotigliano, is “the governing body on campus.” Members of the assembly approve budgets for clubs and organizations, create clubs and serve as “mediators for places on campus where students’ voices need to be heard.”
Assembly meetings often feature guest speakers from KSC Dining Services, Campus Safety, the Wellness Center and representatives from different departments.
Class government roles plan events for the Keene State community in addition to events specific to their class.
In regard to what she wants to see for student government going forward, Nelson said, “I want to see more people involved. We need more members, and it is so rewarding to be a part of it. You get to work with new people and network, so just seeing it grow would be nice to witness.”
Rotigliano shared a similar idea and said that they hope all student assembly seats will be filled next academic year.
“We’ve had a hard time getting students to run for assembly once we split it from the class positions, so I want students to be more engaged with that side of student government,” Rotigliano said.
Elections for all roles will open on April 15. Any positions that remain open after the upcoming election will be sent out again in the fall semester.
Samantha Menard can be contacted at
Nathan Hope is the managing executive editor of The Equinox and serves on student assembly. He had no part in the editing or writing of this article.
