At Wednesday night’s Student Government Association meeting, the Student Senate appointed seven members to the annual Student Fees Committee.

The Student Fees Committee is responsible for hearing budget recommendations from organizations funded by student fees each spring, as well as making its own recommendations to the Student Senate. If passed by the senate, recommendations are then sent to the university president for final approval.

Each seat on the committee corresponds to one of the 15 voting blocks in the Student Senate, each of which is based on a field of study or other student status. The breakdown is as follows:

• Fine Arts
• Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Underserved
• At-Large
• Applied Studies
• Health Professions
• Veteran
• Returning Adult
• Graduate
• Business
• Engineering
• Freshman
• Honors
• International
• Out-of-State

Sen. Crystal Zacarias, chair of the SGA Safety and Student Services Committee, was appointed as the underserved students representative. 

Gallery • 6 Photos

COURTESY

Zacarias

Zacarias said she has wanted to be on the Student Fees Committee for a while but couldn’t commit last year due to schedule conflicts. 

“This year I have the time to make these meetings, and I really want to be involved in the process because I think it’s an important part and one of the most important things we do in Student Government,” Zacarias said. 

Ambrosia Naramore-Winfrey, a freshman majoring in international studies, was named the freshman representative. 

“I was really interested in this position …. because one thing that really matters to me is making sure the freshmen know what’s going on and where their money is going towards,” Naramore-Winfrey said. 

Levi Schenk, president of the Student Veterans Organization, was named the veteran member of the committee.

Schenk, who served in the Marines for nine years, said that his experience managing budgets made him appropriate for this role. He said he believes it’s important for student fees to be used responsibly. 

Max Karst was appointed for the College of Health Professions positions, but he was unable to make it to Wednesday’s meeting. A statement he sent was read on the floor.  

In the statement, Karst said that he has a deep love for the College of Health Professions and has made many connections there. He said his past experience, including as a transition mentor, helps him better understand his peers and be able to advocate for them. 

Graduate student Efthimios Stephanopoulos was chosen for the graduate student position.

Stephanopoulos earned his undergraduate degree at Wichita State and graduated in 2017. He said that he believes he is a good candidate because of his wide range of knowledge on all the departments at Wichita State. 

Sen. Grant Day was appointed as the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences member. 

“I applied to student fees because I think it is one of the most important initiatives on campus,” Day said. “I think it is very important for students to have representatives interested in their issues.”

Sen. Walter Wright was appointed to represent the business school. 

Wright has served on the student fees committee for the past two years and said the knowledge he has gained during those two years makes him a perfect nominee for the position. 

Mathew Tucker was originally nominated for the at-large position, but he withdrew his application before Wednesday’s meeting. This position is now open for applicants, along with returning adult, engineering, out-of-state, honors, international, fine arts and applied studies. 

While the annual student fees deliberations aren’t until February, SGA began accepting applications for the Student Fees Committee early this year. 

SGA Director of Public Relations Mackenzie Haas said last month that filling the committee in the fall will allow the organization to better educate committee members about student fees. 

“We think it is a good idea to have a training session, along with background information for the committee to understand the student fees process from start to finish,” she said. 

The Student Fees Committee will still hold those trainings even if all the positions are not filled.