Three students turned in petitions Friday for a chance to run in the student trustee elections April 15.

Official results of the petition reviews by election commissioners will not be available until Wednesday.

The three candidates vying for the seat are Yvette Johnson, Mike Ruta and Robert Hanfland.

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Johnson is a junior in administration of justice. Before attending SIUC, she served six years in the Marine Corps as a military police and a military police instructor.

She has worked in the office of the student trustee and works for the Saluki Patrol.

Proximity and affordability were two attributes Johnson said attracted her to SIUC. She said the School of Law also played an important role in her decision to come here, as she plans to pursue a law degree.

Ruta is a senior from Downers Grove in automotive technology. He said he is considering adding mechanical engineering for a double-major.

He serves as a Undergraduate Student Government senator for the College of Applied Science and Arts.

Hanfland is a sophomore from Sigel, majoring in biological sciences and pre-med.

The student trustee is an advocate for students to the Board of Trustees. SIUC and SIUE each have one student trustee, who is elected by student votes.

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The student trustee has a non-binding advisory vote in decision making. Pending legislation would give one of SIU’s two student trustees a binding vote in board matters.

The current SIUC student trustee is Pat Kelly, a junior in philosophy from Carbondale.