Imagine being an 18-year-old student tasked with being the face and voice of roughly 900 students every day. That is the reality of what Student Government Association (SGA) President Brendan Ortbals and the many presidents who came before him have to face day in and day out.
The grind for the presidency begins with understanding the sacrifice. Before starting his presidency, Ortbals knew he had to give up soccer, something he had played at Rockhurst for three years. His predecessor, Luke Keuchler, made a similar decision last year in not playing football. Both were aware of how much the president’s schedule can fill up.
Once the presidency starts, more sacrifices must be made. A president has to take their responsibilities seriously and make the school their priority, at times sacrificing sleep and getting schoolwork in on time.
“I turned down the position of Freshman Retreat co-chair. I gave up several other positions to do this,” Ortbals said. “I don’t get much sleep, I’ll be honest. I go to bed… between midnight and 1 a.m. on average.
“I sometimes don’t give as much time to my homework or classes, because this job requires me to be on so much.”
Additionally, each president must take on the pressure of expectations. Every decision comes with the eyes of the school on it.
“Oh, it’s scary because if something doesn’t go right, they blame it on you, and if something goes right, you’re still getting the blame for something,” Ortbals said. “But…it’s fun. I love it.
“There’s a lot of responsibility and that can be daunting at times.”
In Ortbals’ case, some of the work he’s left with is a byproduct of having to clean up loose ends for other members of student leadership.
“If something doesn’t get done, they know that Brendan is their safety net,” senior class moderator Lari Bunch said.
Along with the sheer quantity of duties the position entails, the president also must practice patience and teamwork. The role requires working with many different people to get the job done. School counselor Kim Brown served as co-moderator of SGA last school year and was the long-time senior class moderator as well, so she’s seen up close the importance of a president being able to rely on others.
“In years past, maybe the president felt like it was all falling on their shoulders, but I think that we’re doing a good job of kind of utilizing the whole student government team to help the president,” she said. “[Vice president] Henry [Coppinger] and [treasurer] Cooper [Clift]’s jobs are equally as important, kind of behind the scenes.”
While not a requirement, being an able speaker is a skill that can help a president succeed because they are better equipped to get the student body’s support and attention.
“Speaking in public isn’t a guarantee, but it definitely is a plus,” Brown said.
This, coupled with passion for what they do can get the school to rally behind their leader. Brown says this allows for more effective leadership.
Another necessity for a president is organization. The biggest part of the job is event planning. Ortbals has to know what is going on at all times and who is doing what, so he can send out forms for input on the next thing that is happening. The job brings clutter, so presidents have to be able to organize the mess to ensure everything runs smoothly.
“Being organized is a huge task, because they’re balancing… all the different events that go on here at Rockhurst… as well as their class load,” Brown said.
With the relative chaos comes struggle. When managing all these different tasks, it is difficult to have everything go right and to make all 900 students happy. A president has to be able to persevere.
“[Ortbals] has no quit. He just keeps pushing forward and… he’s good at overcoming obstacles,” Bunch said.
While every SGA president brings different abilities and perspectives to the role, something that is consistent from year-to-year is a love for the school and the people they represent.
“Sometimes, things may not go the best way, but hey, I love this place enough that I’m willing to give it all,” Ortbals said. “So, Rock State baby!”
