Kansas State’s Student Governing Association held student elections this week, with Brady Kapplemann and Zoey Pudenz running unopposed for president and vice president candidacy, respectively. However, all positions within the organization are up for election, including student senator, the Union Governing Board and the Collegian Media Group Student Advisory Committee.
According to the SGA website, it represents “the students of Kansas State University, united in the belief that the goals of a democratic community can be furthered only by the citizenship habits, attitudes, skills and knowledge acquired through experience.”
SGA is composed of three branches: the executive branch, the judicial branch and the legislative branch. Each member within the branches has a different role.
“SGA’s main mission is to advocate for the student body,” Kapplemann said. “I think that is what makes it so special. From the Senate, the executive branch, the judicial branch, the legislative branch, all of us are working towards one goal, which is helping students.”
The student body president and vice president are elected by the K-State student body and serve a one-year term. This year, all voting was done digitally through a Canvas notification. Kapplemann and Pudenz are running unopposed, with a write-in as the only other option.
This duo is involved in multiple areas across campus, so their kinship was inevitable, SGA vice presidential candidate Zoey Pudenz said.
“Back in April, Brady approached me about running for student body vice president alongside him, and I think this adds to all the different experiences I have had at K-State,” Pudenz said. “Whether that is being a tour guide, serving as president for Gamma Phi Beta and being on the Student Alumni Board, all of these positions have served me greatly during my time at K-State.”
Pudenz said she hopes to expand her perspective in her role as student body president.
“What I am looking forward to mostly in this role is hopefully hearing more student experiences,” Pudenz said. “We realized early on since we are involved in the same areas of campus, we had a set perspective on student life, so what we have tried to do is meet with students from various areas across campus, seeing what their perspective is and understanding the challenges and issues some of them face.”
Kapplemann and Pudenz emphasized the idea of shaping the student body collectively, hearing testimonies from students in different campus organizations.
“For me, I am a first-generation K-State student, so I have really gotten to grasp and immerse myself in this experience,” Pudenz said. “Meeting with students and families every day through the admissions office or the recruitment office, I have gotten a good perspective of all K-State students, and I hopefully want to take that knowledge into my next term.”
As the president and vice president elect, Kappleman and Pudenz hope to give back to the university that shaped them into the people they are today.
“Being at K-State the last three years has been such a blessing to be a part of because of the great university, the great friends I have met, the opportunities to grow in leadership and myself,” Kapplemann said. “I am just so thankful for all K-State has given me. I see the student body president role as the best way for me to give back to the university that has given me so much.”
