Guest editorial from Ayres, Baalman campaign

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Jack Ayres, senior in chemical engineering, and Olivia Baalman, junior in computer scienece, stand in front of Anderson Hall in the center of Kansas State's campus on Jan. 27, 2017. (File photo by Austin Fuller | The Collegian)

Your Degree. Your Campus. Your Voice.

These three focuses are a product of conversations, concerns and ideas from our experiences and interactions with K-State students. We are committed to transparency and accountability as we work to improve the spot that we love full well by putting your ideas into action.

In the coming year, we hope to help provide the best educational and campus experience for all students. Our initiatives encompass many ideas such as DARS readability and technology improvements, degree flow-charts for every major, as well as transportation aspects, like a drop-off lane at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on game days, and providing ATA Bus GPS Tracking on the K-State app. With these ideas, and many more, we hope to provide tangible improvements to campus that all students can enjoy.

Moreover, the future of our campus is largely governed by long-term university strategic planning. We believe with our depth of experience we will be able to effectively serve as strong stewards of student voice to make sure the needs and the voice of students remain our university’s top priorities.

This journey has been incredibly rewarding for us as we have been able to meet so many peers and administration, gain new perspectives and experience purple passion across all of campus. We have gained an even greater appreciation for this university and people at it. Moving forward, our efforts will focus on ensuring that the K-State family atmosphere and community that we all know and love is maintained in order to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.

Here at K-State, we continue to hold our land-grant mission close to heart. A large component of that mission is access. Students are being faced with tuition increases each year as they work to obtain their degree. We are committed to being a voice for all students and ensuring that our administration is transparent and accountable as they work toward initiatives affecting students such as the creation of a multicultural student center and increased funding for needs-based scholarships.

Lastly, we hope to see even more students engaged and involved in this process by voting in the Student Governing Association elections. Your participation in elections is a critical part of what makes the student voice at K-State so strong. We are grateful for the opportunity to advocate for student ideas and concerns.

As always, go Cats.

Jack Ayres and Olivia Baalman

Candidates for student body president and vice president

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