Students have elected junior Agricultural Communications major Zach McMeans as the next West Texas A&M University student body vice president in a run-off election held April 5-6.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic about being elected,” McMeans said. “I truly feel like this is an office that I can thrive in, so I’m really looking forward to getting to work!”

McMeans will be sworn in May 2 and will take office May 14. The run-off election was called because the initial election “failed to give a simple majority” to any of the three candidates running, according to the WT website.

While McMeans said he never gave much thought to running for office, several of his friends thought that he would be a good fit for the position.

“So after talking to friends, family, alumni, and the current student government officers, I decided that this was a position that I would excel and make a difference in, so I decided to run,” he said.

According to the Student Government Constitution, the student body vice president serves as the president of the Student Senate and ensures that the Senate fulfills its responsibilities. McMeans said his main goal as vice president is to increase “involvement and interaction” between the senate and the student body.

“Student government exists to be the voice of our student body, and our student body should have a direct say in what goes on via the senate,” McMeans said. “It’s my goal to make sure that our senate can focus on our students’ concerns, recognize their accomplishments, and truly be a megaphone for their voice.”

After graduation, McMeans plans to pursue a communications position with the Texas Farm Bureau. In pursuing this goal, he said he chose to attend WT because of the feeling of community that he noticed on campus.

“I’ve been on countless other college campuses, but I’ve never been anywhere where the community is as strong as it is here,” he said. “I felt like this was a place where I would be treated as an individual and not a student number.”

This sense of community creates the atmosphere that has become McMeans’ favorite part about attending WT.

“I love that you can walk all over campus and talk to students and professors,” McMeans said. “Everywhere you go, you’re greeted by a friend. It’s just such an amazing place to get an education. I love that the WT experience is just as focused on becoming a family as it is getting your degree.”