Election season is in full swing, and not just elections for our nation’s President. The Student Government Association is about to begin the election process for next year’s SGA staff. Many people don’t realize what a big job it is to be the student body president of a university and how huge of an impact they have on the campus.
To some people, it may just seem like a small election, but deciding the President of the student body can determine how changes are made on campus. Elections are not only for the President and Vice President, the seats on the student senate are also up for election. Depending on the size of the college, a certain number of senators will represent that group (for example the college of arts and sciences has 8 senators and the college of business has 5).
Current SGA President, Ulises Gonzalez, said his favorite part of being president was, “fact that [he] was able to make a difference in students lives in many aspects of campus. Service is a big part of [his] life so being able to serve the students of Fort Hays State University and the students of the state of Kansas is extremely rewarding!”
Who’s running? Friday, March 25th was the deadline for students to fill out an “intent to run” form for both president and vice president as well as senators on TigerLink. Any full-time, the on-campus student qualifies to run. Campaigning officially starts on WednesdayMarch 30th.
Why should students vote? Student engagement is vital in the process because each pair running for President and VP has a different platform that they run on; meaning they have something specific that they want to address or change at the university. There are several constitutional changes that the students can provide input on and this is the best time of year for students to express their voice.
Just like the U.S. election, make sure to check out each of the candidates to see what their qualifications are and what they are standing for this election season.
Current SGA President Gonzalez with President Arin Powers, who served during the 2014-15 school year.