Fellow Wildcats, we think we can all agree that October is an exciting time to be on the Kansas State campus! With K-State football, homecoming activities, midterms and more, the KSU community is clearly bustling with energy and momentum. The Student Governing Association has been no exception in terms of energy, as we have enjoyed investing time in generating ideas to serve the student body.
One area of focus for us this year has been efforts of diversity and inclusion at K-State. We have continued working with student leadership from other student organizations such as the Black Student Union, the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, the Asian American Student Union and the Sexuality and Gender Alliance to discuss student priorities for diversity and inclusion at Kansas State and have communicated with administration to work on finding solutions to address those priorities. Some of the areas in which the group believes that K-State can improve are providing greater need-based student scholarships, cultural competency education and progress on fundraising for a Multicultural Student Center.
We want to thank all the dedicated individuals at the Alumni Association, across campus and in the community who worked to make homecoming a success for everyone. We had a fantastic week soaking up the traditions and activities that make our school what it is. Congratulations are also in order to those winning their respective categories in the homecoming competitions, as well as the new 2017 K-State Student Ambassadors, Mario Garcia and Paige Engle.
Our thoughts continue to be with those displaced by the recent fire at the Founders Hill apartment complex. We were saddened to hear that many of the individuals that were affected happened to be students. It is important that these students know the resources that are available for them to provide assistance through this difficult process. As always, the Office of Student Life is ready to help students and they may be reached at 785-532-6432 or stulife@ksu.edu.
In November, we will be traveling with our chief of staff, Jordan DeLoach, as well as members of the legislative branch, to the Big 12 Conference on student government at West Virginia University. We look forward to representing K-State well and returning to Manhattan with many ideas on improving student government from our counterparts at other institutions. As always, we represent and serve our fellow students and are always eager to hear from you! Email us at jvanran@ksu.edu or tjken@ksu.edu, flag us down on campus or come into our office! We appreciate any opportunity to connect with students. Also, please follow us on Twitter at @KStateSBP_SBVP!
Go Cats!
Jessica Van Ranken, student body president
Trenton Kennedy, student body vice president
