Kurt Schneider was officially elected the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska president Monday — a role that carries a non-voting seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
The 19-year-old Schneider, a sophomore agribusiness major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, previously served as a senator for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources during the 2025-26 academic year. During his senate term, Lincoln police arrested him on suspicion of drunken driving in October, according to a Lincoln Police Department probable cause affidavit. Officers recorded a blood alcohol content of .169 — more than twice the legal limit of .08.
He was initially charged with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content above 0.15, improper use of a center turn lane and minor in possession of alcohol, according to the affidavit.
In December, Lancaster County prosecutors dismissed two charges — minor in possession of alcohol and improper use of a center turn lane — while Schneider pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Lancaster County Court records. He was sentenced to seven days in jail, fined $500, and had his driver's license revoked for six months.
Schneider said he did not formally disclose the conviction to UNL or ASUN before filing to run, saying there was no process requiring him to do so.
"It's not like a felony. There's nothing I really had to disclose to the university," Schneider said. "There's no certain reporting process or disclosure process that really is in place. There was nobody that I had to disclose this to."
Schneider confirmed he was not referred to the UNL Student Conduct Office following his arrest or conviction.
He said people within ASUN were aware of the conviction before the election.
"People within ASUN knew about it when it happened," Schneider said. "It wasn't a huge secret to most people that know me. I've been fairly forthcoming about it."
The UNL Student Code of Conduct explicitly lists "driving while under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs in violation of law" as a violation. ASUN bylaws bar any student currently on disciplinary probation from serving in any ASUN position.
Ryan Lahne, assistant vice chancellor of student life and leadership and advisory member of the ASUN Electoral Commission, said all candidates who appeared on the ballot were reviewed by the UNL Department of Student Conduct and Community Standards and certified as eligible prior to the election.
"All candidates that were on the ballots were eligible to be voted upon, went through the process," Lahne said. "Student conduct approved all candidates, as well as all eligibility requirements for the candidates that appeared on the ballot this year."
When asked whether a DUI conviction could constitute a violation of the UNL Student Code of Conduct, Lahne said it can, but directed further questions to the UNL Department of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
Nebraska Public Media News reached out to the UNL Department of Student Conduct and Community Standards for comment, but the department did not respond by the time of publication.
Schneider acknowledged students had a right to know about the conviction before voting.
"I would say a right to know and a need to know," Schneider said. "I expected it a lot earlier than when I received the email for comment. I knew it would come out in the Daily Nebraskan at some point."
Schneider addressed the parallel between his conviction and that of former NU Regent Elizabeth O'Connor, who resigned in January after being charged with felony DUI with a blood alcohol content of .321 — four times the legal limit.
"She was four times over the legal limit... it was a felony for her," Schneider said. "Mine was obviously a misdemeanor. I'm not trying to say that it's okay or it's any less of a problem. I think the magnitude is a little different. I'm a non-voting member, voted on by students, not by constituents in the state of Nebraska."
Schneider said the conviction weighed on his decision to run, but that supporters encouraged him to move forward.
"It kind of was part of what I toyed with – running in the first place," Schneider said. "When that happened and then I decided to run, I was really thinking, I don't really know if I should do this. But I had multiple people continue to tell me that I should do it."
He said withdrawing from the race would have been the wrong choice.
"Quitting everything and resigning from everything and falling back into the shadows is really being more selfish than anything," Schneider said. "That's not growing. That's not being better. That's not learning from that mistake."
Schneider said he believes the election results reflect students' confidence in his leadership despite the conviction.
"Obviously, it was a huge mistake," Schneider said. "It took me a long time to be comfortable with it. But I like to think that this doesn't define me. I feel like I have the knowledge of how to advocate for students — and I really think that showed when people voted."
Schneider said he plans to take office as scheduled. He is set to be sworn in Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Nebraska Union.