Augie Chapas, Caden Brond elected new SGA president, vice president at K-State Salina
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Caden Brond, left, a junior from Houston, Texas, and Augie Chapas, right, a junior from Topeka, have been elected as the vice president and president, respectively, of Kansas State University Salina for the 2022-2023 school year. | Download this photo.
SALINA — Students on the Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus have elected new leaders of the campus's Student Governing Association, or SGA, for the 2022-2023 school year.
Augie Chapas, junior in unmanned aircraft design and integration, Topeka, and his running mate Caden Brond, junior in professional pilot, Houston, Texas, have been elected by the campus's student body as president and vice president, respectively. The duo will represent the students of K-State Salina and lead the Student Governing Association in discussing and addressing issues of campus concern.
"I have really enjoyed being a part of SGA," Brond said. "It's nice to be a part of the cooperation between the K-State Salina administration and the students to provide a voice for our fellow students in matters that affect them."
The Student Governing Association represents full-time and part-time undergraduate students at K-State Salina. The group consists of a cabinet and senators who discuss and vote on issues important to the campus's student body. The student-run organization meets weekly and encourages attendance from any student, faculty or staff member.
Chapas and Brond both point to the Student Governing Association's involvement in several key projects and initiatives over the past few years that have benefited the K-State Salina students. Some of the accomplishments include negotiating with the administration to construct a new sidewalk and implementing a new on-campus self-serve coffee bar.
With these recent successes, Chapas and Brond hope to continue the momentum. The executive officers' biggest priority is to try to encourage greater student involvement post-pandemic in not just Student Governing Association but also in on-campus clubs as well.
"We have a very strong, active and passionate membership in student government," Chapas said. "We are looking to continue growing representation in the SGA Senate, to fill senate openings and get more perspectives of what is important to the students. The more student involvement that we have, the more likely we are to hear some new, fresh ideas."
The K-State Salina Student Governing Association provides students the opportunity to not only get involved on campus, but also helps grow key skills in communication, leadership and learning how to function in a democratic and representative process.
"The lessons that our students learn in SGA are immeasurable in their learning experiences," said Josh Doak, K-State Salina's co-SGA advisor and director of Career Services. "Learning how to better use their voice to create a positive impact is something that they can utilize for the rest of their lives in not just their future career, but in their communities as well. This also gives them the chance to hear ideas that might be different from their own and to work with others through the process of understanding."
Chapas and Brond will replace 2021-2022 student body president Jon Martin, senior in computer systems technology, Bennington, and vice president Eric Webb, senior, computer systems technology, Wichita.
More about K-State Salina's Student Governing Association can be found at salina.k-state.edu/student-life/clubs-organizations/student-governing-association/leadership/.
