The Student Government presidential and vice presidential debate on Tuesday showcased the candidates’ perspectives on key issues such as accountability, sustainable changes and internal reform.
Candidates began by introducing themselves and why they were running for office.
Alex Foret, a junior majoring in agricultural business, and Isabelle Tatman, a kinesiology junior, lead the Foret-Tatman: Forward campaign, which was reinstated on Saturday by the dean of students after its disqualification for alleged bribery. Both candidates emphasized their desire for real change within both Student Government and the student body as a whole.
“We want to see real change in Student Government that we haven’t seen,” Foret said. “We’re ready, we’re committed, we’re prepared to provide real change to the students of this campus.”
Senior Hamood Qureshi, a chemical engineering major, introduced himself as the Forward ticket’s presidential candidate, highlighting his experience in SG. Qureshi’s running mate, Page Gray, didn’t attend the debate. Qureshi drew on his prior experience with SG in his opening remarks.
Lavar Henderson, a junior political communication major and the presidential candidate for Henderson-Layrisson, also known as the We’re All In ticket, said he and his running mate, political communication junior Abry Layrisson, want to change SG’s reputation.
“I’ve seen administrations come and go, and the one constant that remains is the lack of efficiency,” Henderson said. “The We’re All In campaign is here because we want to give Student Government a new stereotype – the stereotype that we try too hard.”
Kelsey Womack, a political communication junior, and Emma Miller, a political science junior, lead the Unite ticket. Both candidates highlighted their three years of experience in the Senate and encouraged unity among students to solve campus problems.
“I’m running because I have been involved with Student Government since my very first semester here at LSU,” Womack said. “There are a lot of issues that we are all facing today currently that divide us, but we call our ticket Unite because all of these issues should be uniting us, so we can present ourselves as a united front to be facing these issues head on.”
Lasting change
One question asked of each campaign was how they would each create change that lasts for years to come, as many projects get tossed aside once a new administration takes office.
The Unite ticket would focus on what Womack called “legacy projects,” or projects that would be maintained and improved on across several years.
Miller said Unite wants to improve on-campus parking by adding a level to the Barnes & Noble parking garage.
Henderson and Layrisson said creating sustainable change comes down to a matter of approach. The ticket wants to prioritize communication with LSU’s faculty and practice restraint, only taking on projects it knows are feasible. By being strategic about which projects are prioritized, Layrisson said the campaign will achieve positive, lasting change.
Henderson also wants his campaign to be in touch with current issues.
“One of our policies is the AI advising tool,” said Henderson. “Advising has had many issues over the last couple years, but also AI is rapidly developing. So we need to make sure that our policies meet the moment.”
Foret and Tatman also emphasized achievability, with Foret condemning past campaigns’ tendencies to overpromise and not follow through once elected. The pair said they only want to prioritize initiatives that they can achieve.
“We want to focus on the small things that are big things, the small things that will influence your daily life and make it better, such as an extended drop date or ticket reform or extended library hours,” Foret said.
The Forward campaign wants to introduce, or reintroduce, some aspects of campus life that Qureshi said are sorely missing, one of which is the Dairy Store’s ability to make milkshakes.
“Whenever I was a freshman, there were milkshakes at the Dairy Store, and those milkshakes at the Dairy Store were so good because you would walk in and get a milkshake,” Qureshi said. “We want to bring milkshake machines back to the dairy store.”
On top of the change to the campus sweet treat landscape, Qureshi wants to rebuild Kirby Smith Hall, which stood 13 floors tall before its 2022 demolition, in an effort to increase access to on-campus housing. He said the resurrected hall would be called “Kirby Smith Two.”
“That’s a physical, sustainable change on this campus that will improve the lives of our students,” he said.
SG Improvements
Each campaign was also asked how they would improve SG.
Womack emphasized how important it is for the student body president to represent and advocate for the entire student body.
“The biggest thing that we can be doing as a Student Government for the entire student body is speaking up and speaking out for students,” Womack said. “Our voices should be the loudest ones on campus, and we should always be willing to tackle the hardest, most controversial and most all-encompassing issues that students face every single day.”
Others argued transparency and accessibility were the most important.
“As leaders on campus, we are supposed to be voices for the students, and we are supposed to be the liaison between faculty and the students, and I think just having a clear communication with them and keeping that branch accountable would be the best,” Layrisson said.
Henderson and Qureshi found common ground in hoping for SG to do more for students, while Tatman pointed out the need for better outreach efforts, arguing students don’t fully understand how SG works.
“I think something that needs to be changed to Student Government and needs to be improved is the advertising of it,” Tatman said. “Student Government has such a big platform to do amazing things and provide positive impact, but a lot of the students don’t even know how student government works.”
Accountability
Each campaign was asked how it intends to remain accountable to the student body beyond just social media updates and public events.
Foret and Tatman intend to have an open-door policy in order to encourage hard work and transparency.
“Diversity of thought is so important in bettering ourselves. There’s always room for improvement,” Tatman said, “Tell us what you want, and we will advocate for you.”
Qureshi took a different approach, explaining his initiative to make every student’s voice heard through polls on social media and anonymous opinions.
Henderson emphasized the need for representatives to engage directly with students, either through weekly newsletters or in-person dialogues with students. Additionally, the pair plans to meet with representatives from each senior college and presidents of student organizations.
Unite also plans to send newsletters to increase student awareness about what happens inside Student Government.
“We definitely also would like to have a broadcast newsletter that’s sent to all students to keep them updated on Student Government,” Womack said. “I think a big part of remaining accountable is letting students know not only what we’re doing, but also making them aware of what we may not be doing so that they can come to us and hold us accountable.”
The LSU spring 2025 elections will be held March 20-21.
