WT Student Government Association to Host Speed-Dating Forum with Canyon Leaders

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

Contact: Chip Chandler or Megan Nelson, City of Canyon director of communications & community engagement, 806-655-5000, ext. 261, or mnelson@canyontx.com

CANYON, Texas — Current and incoming Canyon city commissioners will answer questions from West Texas A&M University students in a first-of-its-kind campus event.

The forum, formatted like a speed dating session, will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 18 in the Legends Club in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on the Canyon campus.

The event is a joint effort between WT Student Government Association and the Canyon city secretary’s office.

Students and interested Canyon residents will divide into small groups, each of which will get a three-to-five-minute conversation with elected officials and those who would be running unopposed in the now-canceled May 6 general election.

Participating city leaders are scheduled to include Mayor Gary Hinders; Cody Jones, mayor pro tem; Paul R. Lyons, Commissioner Place 3; Kelsey Ward, outgoing Commissioner Place 4; Robyn Cranmer, incoming Commissioner Place 4; Randy Ray, outgoing Commissioner Place 5; and Danny Potter, incoming Commissioner Place 5.

SGA member Brandon Melnikoff, a junior agriculture education major from Collbran, Colorado, was inspired by a similar event thrown by his state representative, Matt Soper.

“He posted on social media that he really enjoyed interacting with his constituents at his event, and it made me think we could do something like that here,” Melnikoff said. “For a good chunk of WT students, city commissioners are their direct representatives, plus it’s always good to interact with the community. This will let our students get to know the commissioners, their value and their vision for the city.”

City officials are looking forward to sharing their vision for Canyon with students and other participants, said Gretchen Mercer, city secretary.

“I think it’s very important that our citizens are able to communicate with their elected officials in a comfortable setting to make it clear that the commissioners want to hear and understand Canyon residents,” Mercer said. “I have wanted to provide a forum of this type for a while and was so excited when Brandon presented the idea.”

The speed-dating forum is one way in which the responsibilities of citizenship are imparted on students, as laid out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $120 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—