By Hunter Walker | Guest Contributor

Baylor’s Student Government election season is officially upon us. Central to the mission of Student Government is the notion that through the power of representation, we can actively enrich the quality of student life. As we usher new student leaders into Student Government through the election process this year, I want to remind you that your vote and your voice matter.

Undoubtedly, my hope is to encourage you to vote in the elections on April 13 and 14, yet even more so my heart is to empower you to consider running for a position as well.

As my time serving you through the office of Student Body President draws to a close here shortly, my heart swells with gratitude for the countless benefits brought to me through this organization over the years. If you take away nothing else from this message, hear this: you too have the opportunity to taste the fruit of this special Baylor organization.

I will never forget showing up to Baylor and deciding to run for a position in the fall of my first year at Baylor. Despite my efforts to campaign, a process which I acknowledge is challenging and uncomfortable, I lost my election. That sting of defeat returned two years later as an all too familiar friend when I lost another election. And yet, I still found opportunities to be involved in Student Government and to voice the concerns and opinions of those whom I had met in the process of campaigning. Let my experience with losing elections testify to the notion that fear of losing should not deter you from running for Student Government.

Whichever pocket of campus you occupy, however many extracurriculars you enjoy, and whoever is in your corner of support, I can guarantee that your Baylor experience is uniquely yours, and thus may be missing a valuable perspective in Student Government which you could offer.

Personally, I am proud to lead Baylor as the first non-business or political science Student Body President in more than a decade. To you I ask, what perspective might you offer Student Government which has not been heard recently or perhaps ever?

Certainly there is much to gain from involvement in Student Government. Over the last several years, this organization has allowed me to foster deeper relationships with students and administrators alike, to network with students across the nation, to allocate funding for several of Baylor’s beloved student organization-hosted events, to meet the needs of the greater Waco area in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to dialogue with our nation’s policy makers and so much more. While I acknowledge all that you have to gain from an investment in Student Government, I believe Baylor as a whole gains so much more from your service representing your peers and efforts to increase the quality of student life.

Student Government values your voice more than just asking for your vote. Consider running for a seat as well.

Up for election this spring are:

• 13 Senate Seats per grade
• Class Officer Positions for rising Juniors and Seniors (Class President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer)
• Permanent Class Officer Positions for graduating seniors (Permanent Class President, and Secretary/Treasurer)
• Student Body Officers Positions
• Student Body President, External Vice President, Internal Vice President

The filing form for elected positions closes 5 p.m. Friday with a mandatory candidate informational meeting the following Monday. Please be sure to complete the form if you have any interest in running for a position. While you can always remove your name from the ballot, after the filing deadline closes, you cannot add your name.

For more information about these positions, visit our website and reach out to either the Electoral Commissioner at Zoey_Johnson1@baylor.edy or to me at Hunter_Walker2@baylor.edu with any questions. 

“God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other” 1 Corinthians 12.24-25