The West Texas A&M University student body elections will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. In order to give the campus community a better look at the candidates, The Prairie will be featuring those candidates running for student body president and vice president.  Next up is student body presidential candidate Rigo Baeza.

The Prairie: Why have you decided to run for student body president?

Rigo Baeza: I want to represent the students.  I want to represent the constituents with the organizations that I have been a part of and I believe as the student body president I can do that efficiently.

What first got you interested in student government?

Coming into college, I was not involved in anything really, and I wanted to get more involved in campus and find out what it was about.  A friend of mine recommended student government, so I participated in that, and I liked how the meeting structure was.  And parliamentary procedure…I was really interested in that.

If elected, what do you hope to accomplish?

Well, there is a list of things.  Right now, there is a bike project that I’d like to use as the forefront of my campaigning: It’s turning WT into a bike-friendly university that has an accreditation that can be offered to students at [New Student Orientation] as something that is part of WT.  If we are a bike-friendly university, that means more efficient traveling and also safer traveling across streets, and with this new agriculture complex being built, there needs to be more efficient traveling.

What issues do you feel are important to the student body right now?

I believe that a lot of the residential living, the residence halls, they can be updated, or maintained a little better than what they are, especially from the feedback we get from students.  I know the budget is a really big issue, and managing that money can be very difficult.

If given the chance, what would you change about current campus policies?

As far as what I want to change is the referendum for the new stadium.  That’s a really big topic ,especially for new students coming in, because they’re mainly going to be funding that project, and it’s not that I don’t agree with it, but I don’t agree at this time that it is the best thing we can do with that money, and that is one thing I would like to change.

What has been your favorite part about being a student here at WT?

If I had to be honest, my favorite part are the people: the faculty and the students.  There is just an environment that is unlike any other that I have ever experienced, and it’s like harmony.  You’re not ostracized; you’re not left out by yourself.  Everybody is really inclusive.

What is one thing you want the student body to know about you that they may not know already?

My greatest motivation is my family, my parents.  A lot of people say that their family is their motivation, and when I look back, I see that all the struggles they went through was to put me where I’m at so I can do that best that I can. That’s what I am trying to do: the best that I can for my family and the best that I can for the students here at WT.