Larraga, Payne seek president position
As the 2022 school year shifts from one semester to the next, so does the President of Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s (TAMUK) Student Government Association (SGA).
Student body voting was scheduled to take place on April 11 and 12, however due to technology issues via election platforms, the voting dates were postponed. Elections have been moved and will open at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 18 and close at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 19.
SGA is determined to enhance the quality of student life and focused on allowing students to engage in service.
The purpose of Student Government is to serve as the voice of the student body in the affairs of the university by taking into consideration what other students have raised concern over and being that representation for change.
Candidates running for SGA President are junior interdisciplinary studies major Tyler Larraga and junior marketing major Trenton Payne. Both candidates hold positions with SGA this semester.
Prior to holding his current Chief of Staff position with SGA, Larraga was Senator at Large, Secretary and Special Projects Assistant.
“I am running for Student Body President because I care about both TAMUK and SGA. I am confident I have the experience internally by knowing the processes of the organization to work with the team of all branches to move forward and grow,” Larraga said.
Larraga’s primary goal as SGA President is to be the best representative for students he can be.
“I will always listen and build relationships with other peers. I will fight to ensure we are not subjected to an increase of fees that do not benefit all of the student body, champion for more student emergency funds and I will increase SGA visibility around campus to be a resource for students and ensure their fees are spent wisely,” Larraga said.
SGA is a group of like-minded students who have a primary focus: to improve the university experience. When concerns are raised on campus, SGA representatives will be the first to assess the situation, brainstorm solutions and draft legislation to resolve conflict.
Payne is currently the sitting as the Public Relations Chair for SGA. His responsibilities include managing social media accounts and creating content for each respective channel for the association.
“I am running for SGA President because I want to lead the student body at Texas A&M University-Kingsville to its full potential,” Payne said.
Payne would like his peers to know that he takes pride in being a Javelina very seriously. He is a native South Texan from Woodsboro, Texas. Payne states that South Texas has always been a forever home to him and expresses his gratefulness in TAMUK since becoming a Javelina has given him everything he could have wanted in a college experience.
“My three goals for SGA are to provide a better service for our students through SGA, build campus morale, and enrich the Javelina experience,” Payne said.
Criminology graduate student and Student Organization Advisory Liaison Alberto Oliviera shares his thoughts on the candidates running for President this election.
“My hope is that either candidate understands the commitment and dedication the position involves,” Oliviera said.
Student Government is the official voice for the student body at TAMUK. SGA is funded by student fees and directly works with students for a better tomorrow. The association is set up to have at least one representative from each college and class at the university.
“We work for the students. Our students are important because without them we have no university. I think through our model we ensure our students are represented and directly play a role in each decision or initiative SGA gets behind,” Larraga said.
Each candidate is also heavily involved in other organizations on campus, as well.
Not only is Payne the Public Relations Chair for SGA, he is also a student worker for the Office of Marketing and Communications for which he collaborates with the social media director to produce content for the university’s TikTok channel. He is also the Director of Public Relations for Javelina Camp, for which his duties include producing social media content. Payne believes these experiences have benefited his networking and critical thinking skills to be used further in his professional career as he would like to become a brand ambassador for a major company or corporate-level management.
Besides earning his Chief of Staff position with SGA, Larraga is also Executive Director for the Class Giving Society, involved with the Student Athletic Training program and indulges himself with the Calendar Committee on which he was appointed to voice concerns for lack of student breaks. Previously, he also found himself working with The South Texan as a contributing writer. Larraga believes that being involved in all these organizations has helped him better understand the interests and struggles of students around campus. That way he can do what’s best for the student body and make students feel more comfortable at their home away from home.
“I am a student before anything else and I think it’s important to never forget that. I am confident through my experience having served in various positions. I know the ins and outs and have the mentors of former members who have endorsed me to be able to get back to how we used to be – active and visible on campus with true representation for our student body,” Larraga said.
Both Payne and Larraga have stepped up as leaders on campus and will continue to do just that as they continue to campaign for their presidential election run.
As a final note to the student body and to TAMUK’s soon to be elected officials, Oliviera leaves off with this.
“My hope is for a committed group of SGA representatives. A unified group that takes pride in their positions,” he said. “A dedicated group that inquires about the issues being faced by our student body and that they address them. There’s a lot of potential to make necessary changes on our campus. This is your time to bring about that change.”
Check your student email for updates regarding election voting.