Eight retiring members of Wichita State’s Student Senate were granted emeritus status during its final meeting of the 68th session on Wednesday.

Emeritus status is granted to some retiring members of the Student Senate based on their “commitment to the association and its ideals” and their impact on the association. An SGA member must write a bill granting emeritus status, and the Student Senate votes to approve or fail each bill.

Riley Hansen

Riley Hansen has served as a senator representing honors students for three years. During the most recent session, she oversaw the growth of many new members within the Student Senate as the chairperson for the Student Services Committee.

“As long as I’ve known her, she’s always given us the space and support to explore our own initiatives,” Sen. Braeden Miller said. “… I just feel extremely grateful that during my first session serving the Student Government Association I got to do it with Chairperson Hansen.”

Sen. Jamie Winslow, along with many other senators, also said that Hansen is deserving of this status because of her willingness to help everyone in the senate regardless of experience.

Jasmine Peng

Jasmine Peng served as the chairperson for the Diversity, Empowerment and Inclusion Committee and the health professions senator this year. Recently, she has played a role in helping make sure SGA is compliant with state and university policies. Peng has been in the senate for four years, previously serving as an at-large senator.

“I’m proud to call Chairperson Peng a friend and mentor throughout my time here in SGA and an inspiration,” Speaker of the Senate Matthew Phan said.

Sen. AJ Haynes said Peng has played an important role in her committee, has been welcoming to new senators and that granting her this status is “only right.”

“A lot of you guys mentioned during my bill that I made you feel welcomed when you first started. Chairperson Peng was that person for me,” Hansen said. “… I have always known that if I don’t know anyone else in the room, I can go sit next to Chairperson Peng.”

Jia Wen Wang

Former Student Body President Jia Wen Wang was also granted emeritus status. Wang served as underserved senator, and in the DEI Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee in the 65th session, then later as the student body treasurer in the 66th and 67th sessions.

“Throughout each step of the way, whether it’s serving as the student body treasurer, whether it’s serving as the student body president, you have always made the SGA space feel welcoming, inclusive to everyone that’s here in this space,” Phan said to Wang. “… When you think of someone that serves as student body president, that serves on behalf of the student body, they all think of you.”

Throughout her time in SGA, Wang has sponsored 280 pieces of legislation and co-sponsored 107, according to the bill granting her emeritus status. She also led the senate through various challenges as Student Body Treasurer, including a $900,000 shortfall last session.

“She guides our cabinet members, inspiring us to become better people every day and to try our hardest and always remembering that it always comes back to the students at the end of the day,” said Jayden Island, undergraduate advocate and new student body president. “Following in her footsteps is going to be really hard, but I’m definitely going to miss having her around and knowing that she’s always in my corner.”

Amy Nguyen

For her three years of service in SGA, former Vice President Amy Nguyen was also granted emeritus status. Previously, Nguyen served as the director of public relations in the 66th session and director of engagement and outreach in the 67th.

“Each and every senator, I can say, has been touched by you,” Phan said to Nguyen. “Touched by your impact, even if it’s not a direct impact, the example that you set for leadership has truly changed our Student Government Association. I’m also proud to say that, between the two of us, you’re the better vice president within the past two sessions.”

Sen. Abby Otten said she had known Nguyen when they were in high school competing for a scholarship, and watching Nguyen grow since then has been very impactful on her. She said Nguyen was someone she always looked up to.

“It has been amazing to see her spark never die, no matter how busy she always is,” Chief Justice Lesly Hernandez said. “I want to emphasize, I don’t know how Amy sleeps, eats, breathes, like I don’t understand it, I really don’t. She’s always bright, she’s always cheerful, no matter what’s on her mind, she never lets you know.”

Victoria Owens

Former speaker of the senate of the 67th session, Victoria Owens, was also granted emeritus status. Owens resigned from senate partway through the 68th session due to time constraints, Sen. Andrew Hatch said, but in her time in SGA, she served as chairperson for the Academic Affairs and Student Services Committees.

“She embodies what emeritus status should be and has more than earned the title,” Hatch said. “… Recognizing outstanding work is the bare minimum that we can do to give people their flowers, as we have done for the rest of the night.”

Miller said that Owens represented excellence in SGA for her willingness to advocate for students and has been an inspiration for Miller.

“Every time that woman opens her mouth, I am blown away,” Sen. Erin Tims said. “She never fails to amaze me with how thoughtful, intelligent, empathetic, organized, caring and compassionate she is.”

Lesly Hernandez

Hernandez has been in the judicial branch of SGA since the 66th session and was granted emeritus status. Starting as an associate justice and then serving as chief justice for two terms, she has mentored many members of SGA and participated in 22 court cases.

“I absolutely love Lesly Hernandez,” Nguyen said. “I had the pleasure of working with her in multiple spaces, and I can confidently say that Lesly is someone who I genuinely look up to, literally. She does everything with such grace, love and care. That girl genuinely has so much passion and has done incredible work for the student body as a whole.”

Haynes said that he recognized Hernandez had a vision and passion for what she was doing when she was first appointed. He also said she helped make the judicial branch of SGA more visible to the student body through her drive.

Chief Justice-elect Vincent Duong said that Hernandez has been a person he can rely on within the judicial branch and that there is no one he’d “rather LARP the (U.S.) Supreme Court with” than her.

Lily Arens

Director Lily Arens has served in SGA since the 65th session on the Freshman Leadership Council. Later, she was elected as a fine arts senator and chair of the subcommittee of Student Affairs in the 66th session, and director of legislative and policy affairs in the 67th and 68th sessions. She has also been the fine arts finance commissioner for three years.

“She has been an amazing advocate for the students on campus in everything that she does,” Hatch said. “We have had the pleasure of working together both in senate and trauma bonding over student fees, just an absolute great example of what a member of the cabinet should be and has been for years.”

Wang said that this session has been especially challenging due to laws that impact the student body being passed by the Kansas legislature, but Arens took that challenge head-on. She said Arens has grown and evolved her role to help with the fast-changing legislation.

Abby Otten

Otten was also granted emeritus status. She has served as an engineering senator for the 68th session, but followed the senate closely before joining and was a part of the Student Organization Council.

Phan praised Otten’s passion and dedication.

“I distinctly remember a SOC meeting and Abby by far was the most passionate one in the meeting to talk about student organizations’ needs for the student body,” Phan said.

“Her and her sparkly converse are just the best duo,” Hansen said. “She’s just able — she can do anything she puts her mind to. … I admire her so much and honestly, I think SGA might be a little lucky that she was only here for a year because I don’t think there’d be anything left for anyone else to do if she was here for a full four years.”