The Badger Herald Editorial Board intends to highlight issues that are most important to the University of Wisconsin student and faculty body. We meet regularly to debate issues pertinent on the university, state and local level.

The Board welcomes any comments, criticism, topic suggestions or alternative viewpoints. Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

Below are the members of this semester’s Editorial Board.

Editorial Board Chair Briana Reilly

Wow, time flies when you spend every waking second worrying about the success of the Herald.

I’m on my sixth semester at the Herald, and my fifth as a member of this board. My history at the Herald includes one semester as a columnist, two as opinion editor, one in a state of pseudo-retirement and going on two as managing editor. It’s been a fun and rewarding experience.

I’m a junior majoring in international studies and journalism. As such, I’m interested in international relations and critical of everything from Western diplomacy to the allocation of student segregated fees. I’m also passionate about politics and human rights issues. While I’m fairly up-to-date on current events, I remain unfamiliar with any TV series following the finale of “The Office” in May 2013.

If you want to chat about world leaders or daily life in general, or help “Herald” (ha ha) me into 2016 with TV/movie/music suggestions, you can reach me at [email protected] or @briana_reilly on Twitter.

Editor-in-Chief Aliya Iftikhar

It’s my second semester as EIC, my seventh at the Herald and my last at college. I only have a few more months of relevance at the Herald until I become a lame duck, so I’m going to milk every minute of it — Obama-style.

Like every other media and political nerd out there, I’m going to be watching the run up to the presidential election closely this semester. Unfortunately and uncharacteristically for me, I can’t seem to muster up any feelings toward it other than hopeless apathy. Things I do feel strongly toward include the refugee crisis, Middle East politics, racial inequity, minority rights and diversity on campus.

If you’re trying to find me and I’m not at the Herald (rare), I’m probably wandering aimlessly waiting for views to drop or asking for more hot sauce at PDR. I’m more easily accessible online at [email protected] or on Twitter @aliyazeba.

Managing Editor Rachael Lallensack

In my fifth and last semester at the Herald (last by force, not choice because I guess I’m graduating?), I have a hard time imagining two things: what life was like before BH and what it will be like after.

Working for this newspaper was the most defining experience of my life socially, politically and occupationally. As a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world, moving to the state Capitol was a hugely formative decision. (Google search Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and you’ll see that my hometown is microscopic.)

Lately racial injustice is the only thing that can really piss me off. As DeRay McKesson, one of the most prominent activists in the Black Lives Matter movement, said, “At the heart of any revolution is a well-told story, right?”

I want to welcome anyone to share their stories with us. You can do so by emailing me at [email protected] or slidin’ into my Twitter DMs at @rlallensack.

PSA: Also, women go through enough in a day — don’t tell the bartender she has nice tits. Be respectful. They are not your tits to comment on.

Opinion Editor Luke Schaetzel

It feels like I’ve been walking through the Herald doors in my 8-year-old blue Aeropostale sweatshirt for years now. But, alas it has only been a meager two, going on three semesters.

I’m from Germantown, Wisconsin, and for the past two summers I worked on Germantown’s highways. I like to think the experience of working hard labor would enlighten me to the plight of the common man. That thought is misfounded. It, infact, turned me into a 40-something-year-old that is extremely jaded and cynical against everyone and thing.

Currently, I’m a sophomore majoring in both political science and journalism, so naturally I have opinions. If you’re on the wrong end of my opinions and feel my cynical, sarcastic wrath is unfounded, feel free to write a letter to the editor!

If you want to read sub-par tweets my Twitter is @LukeSchaetzel and my email is [email protected].

Opinion Editor Aaron Reilly

I live by the motto, said by Mark Twain, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” That job is particularly difficult when my job is to open my mouth and make a fool of myself.

This is my second semester with the Herald and first as opinion editor. My life consists of binge-watching “The Office” and “How I Met Your Mother” on Netflix while simultaneously procrastinating. I know, I’m a multitasker.

I’m the typical Wisconsinite, having grown up in a small town of 4,000. I even worked at a cheese distributing center (Vern’s Cheese) this past summer. I also have a totally justified hatred of the Chicago Bears and I quit ballet to play football in sixth grade (I played football for only one year).

After a semester at UW, I’ve come to find that I have no idea what I want to do with my life. But I’ve learned my strong convictions include the creation of a more interconnected global economy and the reformation of the American education system — but I’m against the Trans-Pacific Partnership. If you ever want to get a drink and have a conversation about if it’s unacceptable to allow private companies to usurp national sovereignty, or other things, contact me at [email protected].

Associate Opinion Editor Phil Michaelson

What? Bio? Yeah, I’m taking biology this semester. Why do you … oh, wrong kind of bio. All right. Well, here we go.

This my fourth semester with the Herald. I’ve spent the past three as a writer for the opinion section, and now I’m a first time member of this Board.

I’m currently a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering. I was born and raised in the land of dairy farms, blue collar folk and country music: the one-stoplight little old town of Seymour, Wisconsin.

My usual go-to is griping about the various beefs I have with life at UW in general, but I also dabble in getting fired up over whichever silly politics or policies that happen to set me off.

All-in-all, I’m just an avid napper with a perpetual hankering for Netflix who has gotten really into Bon Iver lately and also loves debating the important topics in life.

So if anyone ever wants to chat about which superhero you’d be or how ridiculous our academic system can be at times, slide into my email at [email protected] or find me on Twitter @phmichaelson.

At-Large Member Adam Johnson

As the lone graduate student on the Editorial Board, I’m the resident old man who can remember when Union South was a shithole, and then a literal hole for some time. This is my 12th semester reading the Herald and fourth semester writing for it.

I graduated for the first time in 2012 with a handful of degrees and having spent way too much time in the Associated Students of Madison as legislative chair and later as vice-chair. I decided that leaving the Madison nest was for chumps and worked at Epic for a few years flying around the country doing health care things before returning to the La Follette School of Public Affairs for my Master’s degree.

I primarily write about politics, both local and more broadly, specifically interacting with my research interests of affordable housing, public education and not proposing policy based on the ravings of people. If you’d like to grab coffee — or preferably beer — hit me up at [email protected] or on Twitter @AdamJohnson1989. My ravings are shorter there.

At-Large Member Madeline Sweitzer

Hey Herald readers, it’s me again.

I’m a junior majoring in political science, history and journalism. It’s my sixth semester at the Herald and my fourth on Editorial Board. My background at the Herald is pretty much all in opinion.

After two semesters as an opinion section writer, I was an editorial page editor for two semesters. Now, as an at-large member of the Board, my main duties at the Herald include, as my father once put it, “attending meetings and pretending to be important.”

I’ve never grown tired of sharing my opinions — even if people got tired of listening to them. Issues I’ve been more likely to rant about recently include the minimum wage, racial disparities and issues within campus Greek life.

If you want to discuss politics or share cute animal gifs, you can reach me at [email protected] or @mcsweitzer on Twitter.