By Becca Clemons

Representatives for the class of 2014 have been chosen by UK freshmen, bringing four new faces and fresh ideas to the Student Government senate.

Freshmen Tommy Crush, Tyler Fields, Kelly Rice and Emily Willett were chosen by popular vote during an online election held two weeks ago.

A total of 1,295 students voted, representing 23 percent of the freshman class, according to the SG website.

SG President Ryan Smith said many more applications were picked up, filled out and turned in this year than last, and significantly more candidates were on the ballot.

Tommy Crush, a political science major, said he wanted to do something productive during his time at UK, and being a part of SG interested him.

“I worked really strongly with in the Obama campaign, and that really got me interested [in government],” he said.

Crush also said he participated in Greg Fischer’s mayoral campaign in Louisville.

Tyler Fields, a biology major with plans to go into pre-medicine, said serving as student body president in high school made him interested in campus government. He said he wanted to get involved at UK, and SG piqued his interest the most.

Kinesiology major Kelly Rice also said she had been interested in student government since high school, where she participated in student council and Kentucky Youth Assembly.

“I know I would love being a good voice for people,” Rice said. She added that SG creates opportunities for her to meet a lot of people and get involved on campus.

Emily Willett, a business management major from Florida, said she worked closely with the administration and community during her high school experiences as student body president.

“I knew right when I came to UK that I wanted to run for student government,” she said. “I think it’s really important that as a person with leadership skills, you step out and try to make a difference.”

“The election process was a positive experience that I would definitely recommend to others in the future,” Willett said. She added that even coming from 12 hours away, it was possible for her to get elected among many candidates from Kentucky.

Rice said the campaigning process was rigorous, as she and her running mates tried to target all areas of campus. She said sharing information through friends and social networking, especially Facebook, were easy ways to reach people.

Fields and Rice said they want to represent the freshman class as best they can and accomplish what the class feels needs to be done at UK.

Willett said she would like to see an improved relationship between SG and the students in general. She wants to make students comfortable approaching the people they elect.

“You only have four years at UK,” Willett said. “I want to make the most of my experience here.”