Wichita State’s Student Senate passed bills Wednesday to start a need-based scholarship for graduate students from rural Kansas, and a mentorship program for international students.
Scholarship for grad students from rural Kansas
The need-based scholarship was presented by Graduate Senator Grant Philips. The scholarship is intended to help graduate and postdoctoral students from rural counties in Kansas.
Students would have to verify that they have graduated with a bachelor’s degree with a GPA of at least 2.5, as well as provide proof of residence in a rural area via mailing address. Students actively enrolled in a graduate program would need to have and maintain a 3.0 GPA.
After its first read on April 1 and going back to the Government Oversight Committee, some changes were made to the bill.
The scholarship fund was set at $10,000 from SGA’s special projects budget, with permission from Student Body President Jia Wen Wang. A new requirement for the scholarship is an essay describing the candidate’s past in rural Kansas, what they plan on doing as a graduate student and how they plan to serve their communities.
The scholarship was originally specific to students from Kansas Congressional District 1. During the April 15 Student Senate meeting, a motion by Honors Senator Erin Tims was passed to change the requirement to having lived in any rural area in Kansas. The scholarship will use Wichita State’s definition of rural.
After the amendments were made, the bill passed unanimously.
Mentorship program for international students
The mentorship program, presented by Senator Ashly Artiaga Sevilla is meant to assist international students by providing support through mentors to help them adjust to life in the U.S. and at Wichita State, as well as workshops and programs related to academic success, campus engagement and student life.
The Diversity, Empowerment and Inclusion Committee amended the bill to include a collaboration between SGA and the International Student Union, so students from ISU can volunteer to be mentors. Changes were also made to the funding structure so the program is not solely funded by SGA but by ISU as well.
With these changes, the bill was passed with unanimous consent and no discussion.
Student Senate meetings happen every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in room 233 in the Rhatigan Student Center, and are also live streamed to the SGA’s YouTube channel.
