WSGA meeting sees transition to new administration

New leadership: WSGA faculty adviser Jessica Barraclough swears in Jim Henry and Zac Surritt as WSGA vice president and president at the April 18 meeting. Surritt and Henry were elected to their positions during the March elections.

Charles Rankin

Washburn students elected new student leaders last month, and the Surritt-Henry administration has officially been installed.

Outgoing Vice President Scott Weinkauf presided the beginning of the meeting while role was taken and final executive staff reports were given. However, it was time to hand over the gavel.

Zac Surritt, the new president, and Jim Henry, the new vice president, were sworn in April 18 at a meeting discussing the transition of power.

Over a dozen senators, the majority of whom held previous terms as senators, were also sworn in.

Following the meeting, questioning and debate over Surritt and Henry’s executive staff appointments commenced. The senate approved all the appointments, and the following students will now serve as executive staff members for 2018-19 year: Bayley Baker as marketing director; Sydney Fox as campus affairs director; Michael Guerrero as administrative assistant; Jade Hodge as legislative research and diversity director; Alexus Rodriguez as community affairs director; Trace Tobin as public affairs director; David Walker as budget director and Tristan Weinbrenner as chief of staff.

The senate also elected a new Speaker Pro Tempore, Caleb Soliday. Several committees were formed, including the Internal Finance Committee, which will be managed under elected chair Charlee Bonczkowski.

The remaining committees will be selected in the next few weeks as the administration gauges interest from the senators.

Finally, as one administration begins, another one will end. Alexis Simmons, former president, Weinkauf, outgoing vice president and their executive staff left the meeting shortly after the new administration was sworn in. The prior administration then trashed the WSGA offices and left it for the new administration to clean up. According to WSGA faculty advisor Jessica Barraclough, this initiation of sorts has been a tradition for at least 10 years. During the meeting, Surritt, knowing the inevitable was coming, asked for help afterwards to clean the office up. When the meeting was over, the new executive staff entered the Union Underground office to find couches turned over, messages left on the wall and paper from unused planners thrown all over the floor. By the end of the night, after diligent work from the staff, the office was clean and work for the new administration began.