BY RAEGAN NEUFELD
At the most recent Student Government Association meeting, senators were encouraged to share their experiences with diversity and inclusion on campus and how it can be improved.
SGA Director of Communications Jayden Siebert began the conversation during the open forum portion of the meeting. She said she has been approached by several students about the topic.
“[Our diversity] is not where other places are at this point and time,” she told the senators. “I wanted to open this to discussion and talk about your experiences with diversity or lack thereof, and see if there’s anything you want to bring to the table because I am working on implementing something but I wanted your input.”
Some senators discussed their experiences with on-campus organizations such as the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, Greek Life and the welcoming community found through the Music and Theatre Department. Ways to promote diversity on campus were also discussed, such as interactions between domestic and international students.
“I would say in my [MBA] classes over half of the students are international students,” SGA President Ryan Stanley said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to meet with students from other countries, especially because they have a different perspective of the world of business.”
Diversity was also just one of the topics discussed by the guest speakers at the meeting, Joey Linn and Taylor Kriley, who are the vice president for student affairs and assistant vice president for student affairs and student success. According to Kriley, Student Affairs is looking to fill a senior diversity officer and associate general counsel position. There is also an open position in Student Engagement for someone focused on student diversity initiatives.
Linn talked more about student diversity and the recruiting process.
“We’ve done this before, but we’re going to charter a bus to Dallas and bring students up for free for a basketball game, give them tours and put them up in the resident halls,” he said. “There are a lot of efforts going on constantly. We’re not forgetting about Kansas and our surrounding states, but just reaching out farther to try and get more students here.”
Aside from diversity, Linn and Kriley spoke to the SGA about what the Division of Student Affairs does. With two of their main focuses being enrollment management and health and wellness, Linn gave a specific emphasis on student success.
“We support our students and make sure they have the resources, help and care needed to be able to navigate and succeed,” he said. “If we have students who come here and go home and don’t graduate, we feel like we’ve failed, not just the student.”
Linn and Kriley referenced the Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success several times throughout their talk, which houses many resources related to the Division of Student Affairs.
Other announcements:
- The Federal Student Aid Loan Forgiveness application is now open
- Free Legal Counseling – October 25
- Young Democrats and College Republicans Debate – October 25 at 7:00 p.m. Black and Gold Room
The next SGA meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on October 27 in the Black and Gold Room.