Student Government veterans Javin Bowman, a criminology and political science junior and Abbie Grace Milligan, a political science, Spanish and international studies junior, teamed up to run for SG president and vice president in LSU’s Spring 2021 election and “unapologetically advocate” for students across LSU’s campus. 

Bowman said that as a Black man, he has grown tired of the University treating minority students like numbers to bolster its claim of being “diverse.”  

“In all my years at LSU, I’ve been seen as a dollar sign,” Bowman said. “I decided to run for SG president because I can bring other people who feel that way to the table with me… not just Black and white, but Native American, Asian and LGBTQ+ people too.” 

When Bowman called his now-running mate Abbie Grace Milligan in August 2020 to ask her to join his ticket as his vice president, Milligan declined his offer. Hurricane Laura had just wracked the South, leaving the Lake Charles native’s hometown in shambles. 

“Everything was chaotic when Javin first asked me to run,” Milligan said. “I just said there was no way.”
She said that although she’d been a leader in SG for years, she was “shocked” that Bowman considered her for the position. Between her triple major and her decimated city, she said she didn’t think she was capable of taking on such a responsibility. 

“Then I saw how LSU didn’t support the Lake Charles students,” Milligan said. “I watched LSU’s athletic department do more for Lake Charles than LSU did. Then I figured that if someone is going to fight, it’s going to be me, because I care.”

The two students transformed their disenfranchisement into a movement they call “Unapologetic Advocacy,” a campaign of 55 candidates who promise to advocate for the needs of students whose voices go unnoticed or ignored.

“When minority organizations apply for funds through SG, we do a good job of giving them their money and then not seeing them for a year,” Milligan said. “Instead, we need to let them know the money is there for them, how to get it, and then follow through and support their events.” 

Chandler Black, sports commerce junior, SG director of student outreach said he has spent many nights working for the ticket as its campaign manager. He said all his efforts will be worthwhile whether or not his ticket is elected.

“They’ve taught me how to surround myself with capable people and rely on my team,” Black said. “We’ve progressed this message of unapologetic advocacy and working on behalf of students, and I wholeheartedly believe that they are the most prepared candidates to handle the inner workings of SG with their years of leadership experience.”
The Bowman-Milligan campaign said their policies fall under three categories: climate, community and culture. 

Their policies to improve LSU’s campus climate focus on getting students more involved in administrative decisions and holding professors accountable. This would include placing students, especially students of color, on the University’s academic search committees and requiring professors to meet deadlines when grading and responding to students.

“Administration doesn’t include students in any decisions,” Milligan said. “They have reached out to us more recently because we put pressure on them, but most of the time students are invited in to ‘help’ later, after decisions have already been made.” 

Bowman said platforms like ProctorU and TopHat require students to pay for functionalities that are built in to Moodle, which is why they’re requesting that administration prohibit professors from using the third-party testing programs. 

Black said the campaign’s three-strike parking policy gained attention on social media for good reason. The policy would require that LSU Parking and Transportation give out two warnings before ticketing a student who is parked in an unauthorized spot. 

Bowman said their community policies work to bridge the divide between student organizations, students and the residents of Baton Rouge. As Milligan sits on SG’s Sexual Violence Prevention Committee and serves as SG’s director of safety, she said she has made connections with sexual assault resources within and outside of LSU to implement sexual assault trainings in local schools. 

Bowman said he’s proud to have partnered with Southern University’s SG President Chandler Vidrine to pioneer a joint ACT prep program, a mentorship program and an inter-campus relations committee between the two Baton Rouge universities. 

The ticket’s policies relating to culture aim to increase diversity and inclusivity on campus, like encouraging administration to hire professors from diverse backgrounds and writing legislation to instate gender-neutral bathrooms.  

“Students are more comfortable when we learn from professors who look like us,” Bowman said. “Our faculty should represent the people they’re teaching more than they do right now.”

Milligan said it’s important that her campaign takes a future-oriented approach to policy.

“If elected, we’d only serve for one year, but our policies would outlive our time at LSU,” Milligan said. “The changes we make in SG don’t always affect students immediately, but they can drastically change the culture for students who will be here after us. It’s crucial that we have well-thought-out plans that last.”

Black said that Bowman-Milligan’s policies are adaptable to reflect the changing nature of students’ needs.