United As One: Presidential Priorities
The Kirk and Thornton Administration is excited to present, United As One; the priorities for the 65th Session (2022-2023). As a Fine Arts student, Student Body President Kirk currently sings in the 黑洞社区 Concert Chorale, which recently sang a song titled, "All As One." The message behind that song is "you sing as one, we are united as one, and we come together to effectively achieve the same goal." This message inspired President Kirk to name his agenda: United As One. United As One represents the idea that everything we do in Student Government, should come from a place of unity to help the most students we can.
Drawing inspiration from his past service as a Senator, Speaker of the Senate, and from previous executives, President Kirk and Vice President Thornton have curated a platform to best serve the student body in the coming term.
All As One
Objective: Develop a plan to finally secure funding to place free menstrual products in all restrooms
Update Due: By December 2022
Cabinet Leads:
- Mary Elizabeth Thornton, Student Body Vice President
- Clarence Albury, Community Engagement and Outreach Director
- Noah Carter, Health and Wellness Director
- Alice Fitzgerald, Sustainability Director
Project | Update |
Establish a Restroom Map for Product Placement |
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Finalize proposal for approval |
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Submit funding request to Senate to secure funding for upfront costs |
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Objective: Seeing what we can do as a campus to make sure that we are effectively recycling and doing what we can to benefit the campus/planet
Update Due: By March 2023
Cabinet Lead:
- Alice Fitzgerald, Sustainability Director
Project | Update |
Conduct an sustainability audit to review University practices related to sustainability that would lead to the University to set policies and practices to establish sustainability efforts and a consistent review process to ensure that practices are being followed |
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Review other sustainability efforts such as solar panels, etc. |
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Host Earth Day events in the Spring |
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Work to Ban the Use of Styrofoam Products |
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Work on legislation that would establish a Green Fund |
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Estalbish a Center for Sustainability on Campus |
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Objective: Exploring the option of making the parking garage levels 2-3 and potentially 4 part of a parking pass plus for students to make more parking on this campus, and looking into the Red spots and where they are.
Update Due: By December 2022
Cabinet Leads:
- Omarian Brantley, Undergraduate Student Advocate
- JDaijon Sumpter, Graduate Student Advocate
- Jay Thompson, Legislative and Policy Affairs Director
Project | Update |
Review Parking Regulations |
President Kirk and Undergraduate Advocate Brantley met with University leadership to gather facts and data about parking practices and policies Director Thompson has reviewed all parking policies |
Develop a Parking+ pass option to be used by students |
President Kirk, Undergraduate Advocate Brantley, Graduate Advocate Sumpter and Director Thompson have developed a Parking+ pass which would allow students who pay the $75 parking green pass to park in the garage. Proposal is being worked on and will seek feedback from Senate prior to formal introduction |
Conduct an annual review of parking to determine where the needs are |
No Update |
Objective: Evaluate current and create new Association Agencies, specifically around the Fraternity and Sorority Life Governing Councils and the Community Service Board
Update Due: By December 2022
Cabinet Leads:
- Andruw Hoopes, Chief of Staff
- Jay Thompson, Legislative and Policy Affairs Director
Project | Update |
Conduct a review of current Student Organizations and determine which may want to apply for agency status. |
President Kirk, Vice President Thornton, Treasurer Brand, and Director Thompson meet and have decided to invite the Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Multicultural Greek Council, Panhellenic Council and the Community Service Board to consider becoming Association Agencie |
Continue to define the agencies and their role on campus. - COMPLETE |
Vice President Thornton, Treasurer Brand, and Director Thompson have meet to define agencies and expectations, will turn those into policy practices to leave behind for future Administrations. Treasurer Brand will be including an increase to Agency funding and the Central Office will initiate Phase 3 of the Agency plan to compensation Agency Presidents in FY24. |
Objective: To involve ourselves with more athletic events and activities on campus.
Update Due: By December 2022
Cabinet Lead:
- Clarence Albury, Community Engagement and Outreach Director
- Mary Elizabeth Thornton, Student Body Vice President
Project | Update |
Meet with Athletic Director to determine what Student Government can contribute. |
No Update |
Coordinate tailgates and other events with Athletics. |
No Update |
Engage in Student Panels with Athletics - COMPLETE |
Several members of SGA met with Athletics for the Panel and provided feedback and issues to Athletics. |
Objective: More video, graphics, and educational meetings to reach out to all students
Update Due: By March 2022
Cabinet Leads:
- Dalton Dicks, Public Relations Director
- Alyssa Pfeifer, Media Relations Director
- Ramon Mosate, Creative Design Director
Objective: To interact with the community and the campus life here, and to see what the best way to do that is
Update due by March 2023
Cabinet Lead:
- Clarence Albury, Community Engagement and Outreach Director
Project | Update |
Develop a sustainable outreach plan for members of the Association to garner feedback |
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Establish Major Events Fund |
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Free Food Trucks Monthly Giveback Event |
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Volunteering in the Campus and Wichita State Communities - COMPLETED |
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Launch SGA鈥檚 Annual Survey |
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Objective: Focusing on initiating a Farmers market on campus as well as giving support in the Shocker Support Locker and finding what we can do to best support them
Update Due: By March 2023
Cabinet Lead
- Jay Thompson, Legislative and Policy Affairs Director
- Omarian Brantley, Undergraduate Student Advocate
- Noah Carter, Health and Wellness Director
Project | Update |
Canned food drive for athletic admission |
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Coordinate an organization food drive competition |
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Better advertising/presence of food for fines. |
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Objective: Looking over the whole Appropriations process and seeing what we need to fix, as well as seeing if we need to raise the dollar amount in the fund.
Update Due: By December 2022
Cabinet Lead
- Jacob Brand, Student Body Treasurer
- Jonathan Stanger, Student Organizations Director
Project | Update |
Determine better transparency for the appropriations process. |
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Make decision making clear to RSO鈥檚 |
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Institute more internal systems to ensure money is easily accessible |
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Objective: Actively seeking more feedback from the students and going to org meetings/chapter meetings to see what the students are needing.
Update Due: By March 2023
Cabinet Lead
- Jonathan Stanger, Student Organizations Director
- Andruw Hoopes, Chief of Staff
Project | Update |
Continue to utilize the Student Organization Council to determine the needs of RSO鈥檚. |
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Develop a system of engagement to have SGA presence with organizations. |
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Objective: Bring back this fund that was designed to help facilitate two large events for the students on this campus every year
Update Due: By March 2023
Cabinet Lead
- Jacob Brand, Student Body Treasurer
- Jay Thompson, Legislative and Policy Affairs Director
Project | Update |
Meet with the SAC and get information regarding what the major events fund was in the past. - COMPLETE |
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Looking over all documents from the past and (contracts, agreements, and the path of how we are going to pick the talent for the concerts/ shows.) - COMPLETE |
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Gather all the information from students |
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Presenting all the information to the Senate about how we have gotten students' input and that this is for everyone on this campus |
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Objective: Helping students understand how to effectively save money and providing them the opportunity to learn how to be ready for life after college
Update Due: By December 2022
Cabinet Lead
- Jacob Brand, Student Body Treasurer
Project | Update |
Work with the office of Student Money Management to assist in financial literacy efforts for the students. |
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Bring the Office of Student Money Management to a Senate meeting to make Senators aware of the resources available. |
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Objective: Growing the council and having at least one service/one outreaching event a semester
Update Due: By March 2023
Cabinet Lead
- Mary Elizabeth Thornton, Student Body Vice President
- Brooke Guy, Leadership and Engagement Director
Objective: With the current RSC Bond almost up, a conversation during the 63rd Session about renewing the Bond was had. It is the priority of this Administration that the discussion regarding the next phase of the RSC renovation continues and comes up for a vote.
Update Due: By February 2023
Cabinet Lead
- John Kirk, Student Body President
- Mary Elizabeth Thornton, Student Body Vice President
- Jacob Brand, Student Body Treasurer
Objective: With conversations with the RSC renovation taking place and the demolition of the CAC, to better serve the needs of students, this Administration will work to include Wilner Auditorium in the project for the RSC Renovation.
Update Due: By February 2023
Cabinet Lead:
- John Kirk, Student Body President
- Mary Elizabeth Thornton, Student Body Vice President
- Jacob Brand, Student Body Treasurer
About John Kirk
When John Kirk took his first Oath of Office as a Fine Arts Senator during the 62nd Session (2019-2020), his commitment to the student body took life. President Kirk's vision for a student body and the Student Government took effect during his first term on the Student Fees Commission. As a Commissioner, he learned the ins and outs of the SGA Student Services Fee and made tough decisions to serve the needs of the greater student body. His dedication to the Association grew when he was re-elected as a Fine Arts Senator during the 63rd Session (2020-2021). During his second term in office, President Kirk help lead efforts to reform the Student Fees process and was integral in the creation of the Organization Appropriations Fund. After his re-election for the third time during the 64th Session (2021-2022) as a Fine Arts Senator, President Kirk was appointed to chair the Budget and Finance Committee, leading the inaugural Appropriations Committee allocating over $100,000 to student organizations and took on a senior senator role to elevate and raise the next generation of Senators. During his final election, President Kirk was sworn in as the Speaker of the Student Senate, leading the Legislative Branch, with his primary objective of gaining and retaining the trust of students of the Student Government. Now as the 116th Student Body President, John Kirk is fired up and focused on leading the student body during such an exciting and engaging time at 黑洞社区.
About Mary Elizabeth Thornton
When Mary Elizabeth Thornton began her career as an undergraduate student at Wichita State in the fall of 2019, she quickly began getting involved on campus through the Student Engagement, Advocacy and Leadership Office and on campus jobs. Although Student Government was not among the initial involvements on Mary Elizabeth鈥檚 list, her passion for serving her fellow students did not go unnoticed. She began serving in different leadership roles within SEAL during the 2020-2021 school year and her passion and vision continued to grow. After attending LeaderShape in the fall of 2021, Mary Elizabeth began working for the Vice President of Student Affairs. With the mentorship of the leaders in the division of Student Affairs, Mary Elizabeth was confirmed as an Underserved Senator in August of 2022 in addition to the several other leadership roles she held on campus. Within the first week of her confirmation, Mary Elizabeth began working with the Ways and Means Committee and helped recommend 3 new student organizations for recognized status through the university. Mary Elizabeth currently serves as a peer coach for the Office of Student Success, the Chapter President of her sorority until the end of her term in December 2022, and has most recently been elected to the position of Student Body Vice President with goals of supporting President Kirk and the cabinet in executing their priorities. Mary Elizabeth鈥檚 passion for her fellow students drives her focus and excitement for the 2022-23 school year as the Wichita State Student Body Vice President.