Student Government Association plans to fill several open positions during the first two weeks of February.

One of the positions is the Chief Justice of the SGA Supreme Court. The position includes a term that lasts two years, and has been open since the previous chief justice resigned last year.

Student Body President Joseph Shepard said the Supreme Court functions as another entity within SGA, particularly with SGA elections.

“The Supreme Court plays a pivotal role in ensuring that all the tickets are campaigning fairly,” he said. “The Supreme Court upholds the standards and upholds the legislative journal and its law.”

Similar to the U.S. Supreme Court, Shepard said the SGA Supreme Court functions as a check to the legislative and executive branches of SGA, ensuring that the Legislative Journal is being properly followed.

SGA is looking for someone willing to serve the students and uphold the standards of SGA, said Khondoker Usama, student body vice president.

“We want to make sure we get someone for the Chief Justice position who is willing to put the work in, especially during the election season,” he said.

Part of that, Usama said, is identifying candidates who have a possible conflict of interest and making sure those conflicts are avoided.

“We need to think ahead of time,” he said.

Applications are due in the first week of February and Shepard will appoint a candidate in the second week.

In addition to the Chief Justice position, SGA has several Senate seats open, too. SGA has openings for at-large, business, engineering, health professions, honors and out-of state senators. Applications can be found on SGA’s website on wichita.edu and are due Monday.

Shepard said Senate has received numerous applications for positions since they opened at the beginning of the semester.

“We have a ton of applications, which is a good thing because it shows students are invested and they’re ready to put in work for this institution,” he said.

SGA Chief of Staff Kiah Duggins will appoint those open positions, and Shepard will review and confirm them.

SGA adviser Marché Fleming-Randle said it is important for all vacant positions to be filled as soon as possible.

“When we have empty seats, that means there are empty voices and I don’t like that,” she said.

While she has not been asked to sit in on any candidate interviews, Fleming-Randle said she plans to do so.

“As the adviser, it’s my duty to make sure that they are doing what they need to do, that no one is being picked because they’re friends of someone else and that they’re qualified grade-wise, education-wise and sense-wise to be at that table in there,” she said. “That seat represents the university and their section of it.”