This is part of the Reveille’s coverage of the Student Government spring election. Learn about the other candidates here.

You can vote in the LSU spring Student Government elections here. SG recommends you vote via computer due to formatting constraints on mobile.

Benjamin Barousse and Anna Katherine Harrell of the Barousse-Harrell ticket are running for student body president and vice president. Their platform focuses on enhancing student representation in Student Government, improving campus accessibility and reforming LSU’s AI Task Force.

Elections will be held on March 19 and March 20.

Getting to know the candidates

Both active members of student organizations on campus, Benjamin and Anna Katherine say that they are passionate about leadership — and leading well.

Barousse is a junior finance major and a Covington native. He currently serves in Student Government as the assistant director of finance, and he formerly served as the president of his fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Barousse said that his experience in Student Government has inspired him to make LSU a better place for all students.

“I’ve seen a lot of areas where we can improve in Student Government, and just as a campus and university,” he explained. “But I’ve also seen a lot of the good that’s happened, and that’s inspired us to step in and take a leadership role on.”

Harrell is a junior psychology major from Baton Rouge, and she serves in Student Government as an assistant director of strategic communications.

Like Barousse, Harrell is involved in Greek life: she is an active member of her sorority, Kappa Delta.

Harrell said that her involvement with student organizations has empowered her to make a bid for vice president.

“I recognized the power of student leadership and wanted to put myself out there because I recognized how much of a difference student initiatives and student leadership can make on campus,” she explained. “It is possible to make changes — however small or however big.”

Last election cycle, Barousse and Harrell supported different tickets. Baroussee was the deputy campaign manager for the Henderson–Layrisson campaign, while Harrell campaigned for the Forward: Foret & Tatman ticket.

But the candidates said that their experience working for different campaigns has broadened their horizons.

“We saw all of the best things about those tickets and all of the spots where they maybe could have been better,” Barousse said. “So we thought we should come together and make a campaign that encompasses all of the good and run a good campaign.”

Goals

Enhancing representation

Barousse said the biggest mistake student leaders can make is to think that they are doing everything correctly.

In an effort to allow student organizations to voice their concerns to SG, the Barousse–Harrell ticket supports creating a “president’s cabinet” — a collection of student leaders across campus who advise SG representatives on issues pertinent to their organizations.

“We think that having a unified spot to hear organizations and how we can serve them is a huge step in the right direction,” Barousse explained.

Harrell added that, if elected, the Barousse–Harrell ticket would work to encourage more students to join SG.

“We would not only make a space for every organization, but we want to expand involvement in Student Government because there’s vacancies in positions throughout the year,” he said. “We want them to feel like they’re not just voicing their concerns but actually making the change too.”

Improving Accessibility

Barousse and Harrell also outlined several policy proposals aimed at making campus more accessible for students.

Barousse was particularly enthusiastic about his campaign’s proposal to partner with Parking and Transportation Services to provide a $10 Uber voucher to all LSU students every Thursday to Sunday, from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.

“In the past few years, there have been so many deaths from students crossing busy roads on campus and not having a ride,” he lamented. He explained that giving students a voucher would allow students to travel more safely.

Harrell also said that the campaign has reached out to LSU Disability Services to find ways to make campus more accessible for disabled students.

“We are passionate about making campus better for visually impaired and hard-of-hearing students,” she said. “We want to be in touch with Disability Services, not only for blind and deaf students, but for neurodivergent students and all students with disabilities.”

Reforming the AI Task Force

As artificial intelligence continues to redefine education, the Barousse–Harrell ticket promises to use LSU’s AI Taskforce to protect students against wrongful plagiarism allegations.

“Let’s look at the current systems we’re using, like Turnitin, and look at other campuses to see what they’re using if it’s working for them,” Barousse explained. “We also want a preliminary verification process before sending students to Student Advocacy and Accountability.”

He said that a preliminary verification process would help to build trust between professors and students — and minimize bureaucracy.

“With the backup [Student Advocacy & Accountability] is experiencing, this would be a good opportunity for students and teachers to figure things out without escalation,” he explained.

Message to students

Despite the chaos of the campaign trail, Barousse and Harrell are excited to engage with students and hear their ideas for how to make campus better.

“I loved hopping on the phone with people, not just to recruit but to hear people’s ideas and have a conversation with them who I wouldn’t have gotten to speak to prior to the campaign,” Harrell explained.

Barousse promised that, if elected, he would use his leadership experience to represent all students on campus to the best of his ability.

“We both come from leadership positions on campus. And that taught me a lot about perseverance and being accountable for others even when it’s hard,” he said. “We don’t want to lead from a position of ‘we’re higher than you.’ We want to work with you.”