The position of non-traditional senator, who acts as a representative for about 20 percent of students at UNC Wilmington, will remain unfilled until the fall, when the Student Government Association will appoint someone to the position.

During the 2013-2014 student government elections, there were no candidates running for non-traditional student senator. In the Student Government Statues for the Student Senate, it states that if there is a vacancy in a senate position for more than 10 days, then any student may present a petition of 50 signatures for that seat. When multiple students petition for the same seat, the Senate holds a vote to decide who will be appointed.

According to the PERCH, which provides services to off-campus, non-traditional, graduate and military-affiliated students, about 20 percent of students identify as non-traditional. This means that because no one ran for Non-Traditional Senator, those students will be represented by someone who is appointed to the position, instead of someone elected by the student body.

A non-traditional student can be anyone over the age of 23, married, having children, or affiliated with the military. The Non-Traditional Senator is responsible for working with the administration on issues affecting these students, and voting on their behalf. Ty Martin, a Marine Corps veteran graduating in May, currently holds the position.

On March 27, the last day of the SGA elections, Matthew Simpson sent out an email to non-traditional students, saying that the seat was open to any non-traditional student interested in representing the those students through SGA. Simpson says there have been about six responses since then.

Among those who expressed interest was Roel Escamilla, a transfer student and Marine Corps veteran. Escamilla said that until finding out that no one was running for non-traditional student senator, he hadn’t been aware that the position existed.

“I think that there are issues at UNCW that need to be addressed, so I’ve been looking for ways to get involved in the process,” Escamilla said.

 Since the election, he has submitted a statement of intent to the SGA. No one has asked him or any other students interested in becoming senator to provide the petition mentioned in the SGA Senate Statutes.

Hannah Braun, the SGA chief of staff, says that the Senate will wait until the start of the fall semester before appointing anyone. In the meantime, they are seeking to attract students interested in the position.