Jayden Island and Anoushka Raju are running for Wichita State student body president and vice president, respectively.

Island is a junior majoring in philosophy and Raju is a senior biomedical engineering and biology student. 

Island currently serves as a student advocate in SGA and was a senator last year. Raju is the health and wellness director under the executive branch.

Their goal is to make student government more casual and transparent so students aren’t confused or intimidated by beneficial resources, the pair said. 

“If in any way I’m able to provide that support for students in a way that … mitigates or takes away some of those barriers that they may have had in the first place, I always want to be able to do that,” Island said. 

Creating transparency and connection

Island said they’ve heard feedback from students that SGA “can feel a little messy.” 

“If we’re able to ensure that students understand what goes on within committees, what’s going on within joint leadership council, and (students) understand what’s going on within student government — not just those Wednesday live streams — then we’re going to be able to foster a little bit more understand between ourselves and the student body,” Island said. 

Island said students may feel like some pieces of legislation are less important, such as changes to the rules governing SGA. 

“If we’re able to communicate that these bylaw changes, and the — some of the internal things that we’re doing — are just as necessary as some of those external endeavors, then we may have a little bit more cohesion between us and the student body,” Island said. 

The pair said they want to continue Wichita State’s initiatives that are aimed at helping students, like Student Outreach Services and the CARE Team, and “put these resources on students’ radars.” 

“Not only are our staff so supportive, but students are so supportive of each other in the spaces that we find each other in,” Raju said. “And I think that just speaks to the multiculturalism of our campus” 

The pair want to expand that to connecting students with each other rather than just resources. Island said this could happen through outreach events or collaborating with Provost Monica Lounsbery to put initiatives into place. 

“I know we have our involvement fair and things of that nature, but I think getting students connected to their peers on a more intimate level to allow them to share experiences with one another, be able to foster those more close connections,” Island said. “That can, in turn, really boost our school spirit and alumni engagement in future years.” 

Island compared Wichita State to other universities and pointed out the difference in school spirit. 

“They love their school,” Island said. “They are repping school colors all the time. They can’t wait to go to grad school there, so on and so forth. And that’s not really a sentiment we see at Wichita State.” 

Background and experience 

Raju said she’d been looking forward to being on campus since childhood since her parents both attended Wichita State. 

“I think what’s kept me here and kept me involved over the past few years are the people in our community,” Raju said. “I think we’re so lucky to have the community that we do. I think that Wichita State is definitely one of Kansas’ best-kept secrets.” 

Island competed in the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational during their senior year at Derby High School and earned a McNair scholarship. They said meeting their scholarship cohort gave them a sense of community, pushing them toward Wichita State.

Island is majoring in philosophy with a concentration in ethics and a minor in public health. They also tutor for the philosophy department and plan to pursue a PhD in bioethics. 

As a student advocate, they help students with processes like academic or parking appeals. 

“A lot of the time, that looks like attending academic appeal or grade appeal hearings with students, where they may be in jeopardy of being dismissed from a program, at risk for suspension, things of that nature,” they said.

Raju is a fourth-year student, majoring in biomedical engineering and biology with a minor in chemistry on the pre-medical track. 

She has been involved with the Student Belonging Coalition. In her current role as SGA health and wellness director, Raju helps connect students to support services and wellness activities across campus. 

The campaign’s tagline is “a place for all of us.” Raju said this means accepting the fact that every student is different. 

“Hopefully — within our administration as well, we’re able to learn a little bit more about each student’s demographic and how we can best support them through their college journey,” Raju said.

The presidential and vice presidential candidates debate on March 26 and April 2 at 6 p.m. in Rhatigan Student Center 233. The debates will be live streamed on SGA’s Youtube and The Sunflower’s instagram.

The general election will take place from April 6-8. Ballots will be emailed to students via SimplyVoting.