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Outgoing Student Senate President Curtis McKnight presents UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., with a pair of ice skates as a reference to the chancellor’s plan to put an ice rink in the UNMC student plaza. |
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Student Senate officers are, from left, treasurer Branden Nemecek (College of Pharmacy) of Kearney, president Brad Bohn (College of Medicine) of Ravenna, vice president Andrew Klutman (College of Medicine) of Columbus, and secretary Jeremy Peterson (College of Medicine) of Atkinson. |
That changed Thursday afternoon.
Outgoing Student Senate President Curtis McKnight surprised the chancellor with a pair of black UNMC ice skates, reminding him that it was a year ago when he showed the senate plans for the campus ice skating rink.
The chancellor’s new black skates sit inside a glass case with the following inscription on the blade: Presented to Chancellor Harold Maurer by the UNMC Student Senate.
The gift capped Thursday’s Student Senate inaugural reception that had the chancellor administering the oath of office to incoming Student Senate President Brad Bohn of Ravenna, and his vice president, Andrew Klutman of Columbus. Newly elected senators from each college also took the oath of office.
In addition to Bohn and Klutman, this year’s senate officers include pharmacy student Branden Nemecek of Kearney, treasurer, and medical student Jeremy Peterson of Atkinson, secretary. David Carver, Ph.D., director of student counseling in the College of Medicine, begins his 16th year as student senate adviser.
Dr. Maurer praised the work of McKnight and the senate, noting how they convinced campus leaders to work toward a smoking ban on campus and how their support of faculty salary increases makes a difference to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
“Students are very busy, but I think there is still room for us to be more involved in student government,” said McKnight, minutes before ending his reign by singing the unofficial UNMC fight song, written in 2005 by then Student Senate President Nick Behrendt.
Incoming president Bohn, who served as UNMC Student Senate vice president last year, said he hopes to engage more students in campus issues, while assisting campus leaders and regents on budgetary issues and other challenges that lie ahead.
“The great thing about challenges is not that we have to face them, but that we get to face them and really rise up,” he said.