Jon Duraj, President

What's up everyone?  My name is Jon Duraj and I am excited to be your Student Senate President.  As President, I set the agenda and oversee our weekly meetings, where we discuss campus issues affecting us such as: the approval of new campus organizations; Green Wittenberg; campus policies; student involvement just to name a few; speak with different administrators' on a weekly basis, and plan events that seek to unite the student body. I also head the Senate Executive Board, attend faculty meetings with voice and vote, represent us students at the Board of Directors meetings, as well as meet with President Erickson and his Senior Staff frequently.  Outside of Senate you can see me around campus taking management and marine science classes, working in the Student Activities and Greek Life Office as well as the Admission Office, as a member of Delta Tau Delta, and hanging out with friends. Senate is the most instrumental way to get your voice heard, so if you have an issue or comment stop by our weekly meetings Tuesdays at 7PM in the Senate Office. If you have any questions, want to get involved in Senate or anything else, want to voice your opinion, or just want to talk, feel free to stop me anytime or e-mail me at
s09.jduraj@wittenberg.edu.  TIGER UP!

Lauren Bryant, Vice President

Hey guys!  My name's Lauren and I'm this year's Student Senate Vice President with Mr. Duraj.  Last year I served my first session on Senate as the Independent Senator, representing the few, the proud, the non-Greek! :) This year as VP, in addition to serving on Student Senate, I also head a committee called Build A Better Wittenberg that funds events and opportunities to bring the Wittenberg community with the Springfield community.  As a member of Senate's Executive Board, I get the opportunity to meet regularly with the Board of Directors and President Erickson's Senior Staff, so don't hesitate to let any Senator know if you have "beef" with anything here at Witt.  We're here because you elected us, so help us represent you!  Outside of Senate, I'm a History major with Education and Russian Area Studies minors, pursuing a teaching licensure for 7-12 Integrated Social Studies.  I lead YoungLife at Tecumseh High School and have been an OA for the last three years.  If you can't find me in Hollenbeck or the Senate office, I am a compulsive email-checker, so send one my way at s09.lbryant@wittenberg.edu! 

Katie Barsan, Treasurer

Hey Everyone! My name is Katie Barsan, I am a senior Management major and Spanish minor, and I am very happy to serve as this year’s Student Senate Treasurer.  As Treasurer, I am responsible for funding all the various expenses that Senate acquires throughout the year.  I also head up the Student Senate Finance Committee, which is a committee made up of representatives from several organizations including class officers.  The Finance Committee’s main responsibility is to allocate funds to all student organizations that attend our yearly budget hearings.  In addition, I am a member of the Senate Executive Board where I attend monthly meetings with President Erickson’s Senior Staff, and also meet with Wittenberg’s Board of Directors.  Last year I served as Senate’s Off-Campus Senator, and I am looking forward to another great year! Outside of Senate, I am a member of Chi Omega, Investment Club, the Security Advisory Committee, and am a Faculty Aide in the Management Department.  If you have any questions about my position or Senate in general, please send me an email (s09.kbarsan@wittenberg.edu).  Hope everyone has a great year!

Matt McDonald, Secretary

My name is Matthew McDonald, but my friends call me Big Poppa (just kidding about the big poppa thing). I'm a senior Geography major from Lakewood, Ohio. As secretary I serve on the Executive Board, and my primary job is to record our minutes, but I also am responsible for all student elections. Outside of senate, I'm a proud member of Delta Tau Delta, and work in admissions giving tours. I'm co-captain of the Wittenberg Sailing team, and part of the Wittenberg Hockey Revival '08. You probably have or will see me skateboarding around campus, grab me or send me an email with any senate concerns. We go sailing everyday at 4pm, come on out!

Bobby Ritzi, Faculty-Student Coordinator

My name is Bobby Ritzi and I am very excited to be your Faculty-Student Coordinator for 2008-2009.  This position allows me to act as a bridge between the students and faculty at Wittenberg.  I will be attending monthly faculty meetings with all of your interest’s in mind, meeting with President Erickson and the Senior Staff frequently, and of course—organizing student involvement in the 30-plus faculty-student committees.  These committees vary in topic from the Educational Policies Committee to the Environmental Concerns Committee.  Outside of Senate I am a Management Major/Econ Minor, a member of the varsity swim team, a proud member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, part of Greek standards board, a tour guide, avid disc golfer, and a cheese cake coinsure.  I am the third member of my family to go to Wittenberg and I absolutely love it here.  Please do not hesitate to e-mail me (s10.rritzi@wittenberg) if there is something you would like me to bring up in either a Senate or Faculty meeting.  TIGER UP! !

Andrew Tomko, 2009 Senator

Hi! My name is Andrew Tomko and I am excited to serve as the Senior Class of 2009 President. Since day one it has been my goal to make sure our class receives everything that it deserves. This year, the officers, cabinet, and I plan on taking on multiple events and accomplishing a significant amount. David Donofrio Vice President, Lauren Hough Secretary, and Kristy Parker Treasurer and I will work diligently to provide the maximum benefits for our campus while maintaining a positive and strong relationship with the outside community. Leading by example is truly what our class consistently prides itself on each day, focusing on narrowly tailored goals and tasks that make Wittenberg University the best it can be. Outside of my senatorial duties I enjoy participating in intramurals, listening to a variety of music, and spending time with close friends and family. I am very active on campus and involved in a variety of other organizations. Free to contact me with any type of question, comment, or concern. I look forward to meeting all of you and making our senior year a special one.

Leslie Chasteen, 2010 Senator

Hello! My name is Leslie Chasteen and I am honored to be President for the class of 2010. I am a junior Communication major from Cincinnati, Ohio and extremely excited to be serving you on Senate here at Wittenberg for a third term. With the help of the other officers, (Corbin Neike-VP, Andrea Berry- Treasurer, Betty Cheney- Secretary) this year to be nothing short of amazing. By now, we all have two years of Senate experience behind us and are excitedly awaiting what is in store for the second half of our college years. This year, we will be working on events with the class of 2009, as well as getting a jump start on planning for our senior year.  We also look forward to increasing our class funds, putting on fundraisers and planning service projects in the community.  I encourage you to get involved in our class!! We would love your input and encourage anyone interested to join the class committee. Please feel free to contact me @ s10.lchasteen if you have any questions, concerns or ideas. As always, best of luck to Wit10berg this year and please let me know if I can assist you in any way!

Heather DeSantis , 2011 Senator

Hey WITT! My name is Heather DeSantis and I am honored to be the 2011 Class President. I am from Dublin, Ohio and I am an Early-Childhood/Special Education major with a minor in Art. I am extremely excited for this upcoming year due to the great foundation we have layed. This coming year, we will continue to accomplish incredible things, and most certainly leave a lasting impression on Wittenberg’s campus. Together with Mike Marian-VP, Brendan Corrigan-Treasurer, and Kelly Foley-Secretary along with the help of 2011’s class cabinet are ready to serve you- providing you with an unforgettable Wittenberg experience! Our goals include creating more campus-wide events and establish connections with the Springfield community by volunteering our time rather than money. In addition, we are focusing on uniting our diverse class and increasing school spirit! We have a lot of motivation and involvement that will take us far! My role on Student Senate is to attend Faculty Meetings, attend Senate meetings, and be the liaison between 2011 and the Senate. In addition, I am also a member of Wittenberg’s Field Hockey team, Education Chair for Colleges against Cancer, Community Service Scholar, Team Captain of Relay for Life, and participant of the Emerging Leaders program. As always PIO- Pass It on! Meetings are open to everyone; 7 PM every Tuesday in the basement of Shouvlin. Our class is always looking for new ideas and welcomes you to get involved by joining a committee!

2012 Senator

Jimmy Thinnes, Independent Senator

Hi ya’ll!  My name is Jimmy Thinnes and I am a senior Management major, Econ minor, from Cincinnati, Ohio.  I am also a member of the Men’s Soccer team and Men’s Track team.  I am excited to say that I am your independent senator for this year!  I will be heading up a new independent committee this year, in order to promote more unity for all of you non-Greekers on campus.  I work in the Men’s soccer athletic office for Dr. Dawson and at the library front desk.  I also coach future Tigers-to-be in soccer at Witt summer camps.  I have been a four year member of Student Athlete Advisory Committee, served on the athletic policy and recreation committee, a member of Witt-Invest, and a radio host for WUSO 89.1 “The Berg.”  My e-mail is s09.jthinnes@wittenberg.edu please feel free to write me with any questions, concerns, or comments.

Nick Ferrari, Public Relations Senator

What's Good Witt?!! My name is Nick Ferrari and I am a senior Bio-Chem major/Management minor from Dublin, OH. In addition to being a part of Student Senate, I am also a member of the men's soccer team and Delta Tau Delta fraternity. I am excited to say that I am your Public Relations Senator for this upcoming year. My job is to make sure that the student body is well aware about Senate events, activites, and meetings that happen during the year. If you every have any questions please feel free to email me at s09.nferrari@wittenberg.edu. Remember, meetings are open to anyone who want to come and they are on Tuesday nights at 7:00 in the Shouvlin basement. See ya around.

Allison Scaia, Educational Policies Committee (EPC) Senator

Hi!  I’m Allison Scaia, returning Educational Policies Committee Senator.  I’m a senior double major in Economics and Management from St. Louis, Missouri (but I’m a true Cleveland sports fan).  As EPC Senator, I help represent the student perspective in requests for new faculty lines, proposals for new majors, minors, and courses, and finally, changes in the current curricular offerings.  EPC is also working on a modification of the general education curriculum to create a very distinctive Wittenberg experience.  Outside of Senate, I’m involved in Greek Life, the Class of 2009 Cabinet, and the Homecoming Committee.  This fall, I’m looking forward to being a peer mentor for the Class of 2012.  If you have any questions or suggestions regarding Educational Policies, feel free to e-mail me (s09.ascaia).

Erin Slattery, Athletic Senator

Hello Tigers! My name is Erin Slattery and I am the Athletic's Senator for the 2008-2009 school year. I am a junior Communication major from Cleveland and I play volleyball here at Witt. I am very honored and excited to represent all of the great athletes on our campus. My role on senate is to be the voice of the student-athletes at our weekly meetings. I am also the vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). This summer I was lucky enough to travel to Disney World for the NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference and I learned some pretty cool ideas about ways to bring student-athletes together. I am really excited about implementing them this year. I am also involved with First Year Experience and I work for Ryan Maurer in the Sports Information Office. If you have any questions or concerns, or want to got involved please contact me, or SAAC president Ted Winders. My email is s10.eslattery and Ted is an s10 also. I am really excited about student-athletes and getting to know them better this year! "Pass it on!"

Ben McCombs, Off Campus-Senator

Hey there! I’m Ben McCombs and I am the Off-Campus Senator for this year.  I am a senior Management major with a minor in art.  My duties as the Off-Campus Senator are: aiding in the communication between the University and students living off-campus, working hand-in-hand with the Wittenberg Police to strengthen the relationship between officers and students, corresponding with surrounding Universities, and organizing campus clean-ups.  I run cross country and track, I’m a member of Delta Tau Delta, and I am the director of WittCAM in the Management department.  I hope you have a great school year! Please feel free to contact me by email if you have any questions or comments at s09.bmccombs@wittenberg.edu.

Anna Joy Tibby , Co-International Senator

Christi Lue, Co-International Senator

Hi! My name is Christi Lue and I'm from the beautiful twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. I'm a Communication major, Journalism and Political Science minor, intern with Wittenberg's Office of University Communications, and your co-representative (along with AJ, my fabulous Jamaican friend and former roomie) for the seat of international senator. I'm in the Netherlands this semester but will be back and very excited to work with you all in the Spring. As our title suggests, AJ and I will be the liason between Senate and the American International Association, but more than that we will work with this administration to help deliver on our promise to help make Wittenberg a better place for us all. So, drop us an email some time if you have any suggestions, questions, or concerns, and I will be happy to speak with you. You can reach me at s09.clue@wittenberg.edu.
GO TIGERS!

Corbin Neike, Greek Senator

Hey Wittenberg!  My name is Corbin Neike and I'm this year's Greek Senator.  I'm a junior Physics major and a Computational Science/Music double minor.  I'm a part of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, Alumni Relations Chair for Delta Tau Delta, Wittenberg Class of 2010 Vice President, a campus Tour Guide, a singer in both The WittMen Crew and the Wittenberg Choir, a lifeguard at the HPERC, and I hold position on the Build a Better Wittenberg committee.  I've also been an Orientation Assistant for the past two years, exciting new students about Wittenberg, one PlayFair at a time.  My job as Greek Senator is to unite the Greek community and connect it to campus life.  I participate as the informant between Student Senate and Wittenberg sororities and fraternities.  I inform the Greek community about affairs concerning Greek Life, and I inform Student Senate about events being held by sororities and fraternities within the Greek community.  I want to strive to unite the Greek community this year.  Especially with our new Greek director, I believe the Greek community has a lot of potential to make some great changes and become a more positvely influential aspect of campus life this next year.  I want to encourage Wittenberg students to enjoy all aspects of campus life and to involve themselves in everything that Wittenberg has to offer!  Please contact me at any time if you have any questions or concerns at s10.cneike@wittenberg.edu!

Lauren Welch, Residence Hall Association (RHA) Senator

Hello Darlings! I’m Lauren R. Welch, Residence Hall Association Senator for the 2008-2009 school year. I’m a junior, Communications major and Journalism/ Africana Studies minor, from Cleveland, Ohio. Besides serving you on Senate, I currently serve as Vice President of Concerned Black Students and Co-Head of the Connectors Program. Residence Hall Association (RHA) was designed to serve as a representative for those living in residence halls. That means as RHA senator, I’m here to ensure that you get the best experience living on campus and that your voice is being heard on opinions and issues concerning residence life. I’m excited for RHA this year and all the wonderful opportunities and experiences it will bring! If you would like to find out on how to get involved with RHA or have questions, comments, concerns or just want to talk, don’t hesitate to e-mail me at s10.lwelch@wittenberg.edu.

Will McKelvey, Concerned Black Students (CBS) Senator

What it do WITT?!! My name is William McKelvey and I am a Biology major from the 614 (Columbus, Ohio for all who didn’t know).  I was a member of the Wittenberg football team for the past two years and will be a new member of the distinguished Wittmen Crew. I am very excited to be a part of the student senate this year as the CBS Senator. My responsibilities will be to represent the interests of African-American students at Student Senate and at faculty meetings or similar audiences. I will also attend faculty meetings with voice and vote.  This year I hope to be a major contributor to the forever changing Wittenberg campus.  This task will require me to meet and interact with any and everyone, so if you wish to talk, discuss, chill, relax, or just to have some company, please do not hesitate to email me at s10.wmckelvey@wittenberg.edu.