Student Government Posted on June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 by Barry Keefe Mike Sportiello says there’s an apathy problem at UWM. “We have a lot of people who just go to class and go home,” he says. Sportiello has been elected as the Student Association president for the 2015-16 term, and despite the election results being in his favor, he admits they reflect a disconnect. Less than 2,000 students voted despite there being over 30,000 eligible voters (eligible voters being all UWM students). According to Sportiello the lack of participation is frustrating because of what’s being lost in not having everyone at the table. A more unified input matters in gaining the kinds of advances Sportiello wants to see, advances such as bringing the Bublr bike-share program to the university, a project that’s been co-sponsored by the SA. “Starting in August, something really big is going to change about creating a greener more sustainable campus,” says Sportiello. “That’s something that not only the 50 people that are elected have a chance to change. A lot more people can be in on this conversation.” To that end, Sportiello wants to create a Student-Leader Senate, a body composed of Student Org leaders that will have an input in the SA’s decision-making process. With more than 300 Student Organizations at UWM, Student Orgs make up the predominate amount of extra-curricular participation on campus. Sportiello believes rallying and uniting students at the Student Org level can go a long way in protecting UWM from what’s probably the biggest issue facing the university: budget cuts. “Part of my role as president going forward is putting these people into rooms with people from the Board of Regents and the state legislature, and saying, ‘Talk about your story and how these budget cuts have impacted you specifically,’” says Sportiello. “And you know, it’s stories like that that really do have an impact.”