Everyone wants to see some kind of change, but Shayden Hanes is ready to make a difference on our campus by running for president in Washburn Student Government Association. Hanes is a junior at Washburn University majoring in international business and finance. She is also minoring in leadership studies and political science.
“I joined [WSGA] my freshman year. I was elected as one of the freshman seats, and I’ve been in ever since. I filled a variety of different capacities within the organization,” Hanes said. “That first year I was able to really see a lot of change on campus made through the organization and really just learned about how we can impact students, and I just kept doing it.”
Daniel Buller, the manager of the Hanes campaign, has worked with several people to promote Hanes’ run for WSGA presidency.
“Being able to work with and collaborate with different people has been really enjoyable,” Buller said. “Meeting different people in the campaign that maybe I wouldn’t have gotten to know as well in different circumstances.”
Hanes believes there are a lot of different levels that people don’t typically see in student government. One of the biggest jobs of the WSGA is being that liaison between student organizations, students themselves and the administration.
She gained a lot of experience communicating between departments while interning in Washburn’s president’s office. Hanes has come to realize through all of her responsibilities that the best way to approach a problem is to analyze it in depth rather than trying to solve it as quickly as possible.

“Identifying that problem and seeing who the biggest stakeholders are and then inviting them to the conversation. [It is important] having them have a voice to find the solution so that way it’s sustainable,” Hanes said.
Hanes chose Quinn Leffingwell to be her running mate in this election. As president and vice-president for WSGA, they want to bring change to this campus and are willing to do what is necessary to make it happen.
“I think at the end of the day, Quinton and I both, we honestly both just want to serve students. We have a drive to honestly work as hard as we can to make the change that we wish to see in other students,” Hanes said. “We just have a passion and hopefully they can see that with the past work that we’ve done, and the work that we have to continue to do.”
Hanes and Leffingwell have already begun to make a difference on campus. They have partnered with Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equality at Washburn this semester to provide women on campus free period products. Their next project is to make sustainable products available to students, such as period panties and diva cups.
Another item on their list is to increase counseling services resources to better serve students. There is currently no waitlist for counseling, but the amount of students seeking services often fluctuates, making it difficult for everyone to be seen.
Hanes also wishes to bridge that gap between student government and other organizations. She plans to assign a senator to each organization to bring in more communication. Having monthly meetings with other student leaders and organizations will be a priority to keep that connection.
Lastly, Hanes plans to review the budget within WSGA. It is her goal to reevaluate and simplify the budget so money can be distributed in a way that helps students with projects for their organization.
“She’s been in government for a long time, and has a good idea of the system and how it works, and I think she’ll be a great person to make those changes. I definitely like her ideas about increasing student government and communication between student organizations,” Buller said.
Hanes’ biggest inspiration to run for WSGA President is Abby Trautman, the current president of WSGA. Trautman and Hanes have worked on several projects together during their time in student government. Trautman taught her how to balance work, school and internships. She also instilled the importance of taking time for yourself.
“Well, there have been a lot of challenges, I think with any organization, but I also think what’s so unique about the WSGA is that you have so many different people that are passionate about so many different things in an area. You have a lot of passion and a lot of people that have a voice, and it definitely deserves to be heard,” said Hanes.

Edited by: Justin Shepard, Ellie Walker