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.
Tyhlar Holliway and Gabreyela Gonzalez of the HEART ticket are running for student body president and vice president. Their platform focuses on service and selflessness.
The election will be held on March 19 and March 20.
Getting to know the candidates
Tyhlar Holliway is a junior pursuing a dual degree in English and political science and minoring in Louisiana Service and Leadership research. She currently serves as the Student Government Senate Speaker Pro Tempore and chairs the rules committee. Through Student Government, Holliway founded Custodian Appreciation Week. She is also director of the Food Recovery Network and chair of outreach for the Injustice Reform. She is an Honors College advocate and also participates in a gender and politics research lab.
Gabreyela Gonzalez, a chemical engineering junior minoring in chemistry, also currently serves in Student Government. She is the coordinator of campus affairs and sustainability, chair of the Student Sustainability Fund and chair of the Latin Caucus. In addition to Student Government, Gonzalez is media chair of these four clubs: Society of Women Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronomics. She is a student worker in the Mass Spectrometry Facility. Gonzalez is also in LSU’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta and attends Christ the King Catholic Church.
Their campaign includes around 168 volunteers, staff and others supporting the ticket.
Purpose
Holliway said she and Gonzalez believe that their leadership should have heart behind everything they do. She said leaders should be servants who meet people’s needs.
“We have this drive in us. We constantly seek out people and ask what they need,” Gonzalez said. “We’re not perfect. We’re still learning, but we are very knowledgeable due to all of the work and outreach we’ve already done.”
This campaign strives to uplift students and make sure they feel heard. Holliway said she would ensure that students see SG as an approachable, active presence.
“I think too often we hear students say, ‘I don’t know what Student Government is doing, I don’t know how to apply for funding, I don’t know how to access resources.’ They feel excluded from Student Government when it is located in the heart of our campus,” Holliway said.
Holliway and Gonzalez want SG to be a resource hub.
Goals
HEART is an acronym for Holliway and Gonzalez’s policies which are to hear every voice, empower student success, accessibility and well being, resources and recognition and tiger unity.
Hear Every Voice
Should Holliway and Gonzalez win, they would establish a an SG summit. Every student organization on campus could come and voice key concerns.
Gonzalez added that they would conduct interviews in the quad to learn what issues students are facing at the time.
Empower Student Success
Holliway and Gonzalez want to ensure students on a pre-profession track such as pre-law or pre-med feel prepared as they take the next steps in their academic journeys. They would promote pre-profession Moodle pages that include flow charts, timelines and internship opportunities.
Accessibility and Well-Being
Gonzalez thinks one of the biggest issues students face is the potholes on and around campus. She said they want to conduct pothole surveys every semester with students, faculty and staff and work closely with maintenance to address this issue.
Resources and Recognition
In addition to expanding access to academic and professional resources, Holliway and Gonzalez would also increase basic resources like water.
Both candidates are from Louisiana but recognize how intense the heat is, especially for students who are not from here. They want to implement more stations for students to refill water and add more shade around campus that could help during game days.
In terms of recognition, the HEART campaign wants to recognize heroes of LSU every month. Heroes include students, faculty, staff, or alumni who make an impact at LSU.
Tiger Unity
To maintain a united front, Holliway and Gonzalez want to have multicultural town halls. These would be spaces specifically for cultural organizations or international groups to voice their concerns.
Outreach and message to students
Holliway and Gonzalez contacted many students through Instagram or LinkedIn, and they talked to student organizations. Gonzalez added that they know a lot of service-oriented students and reached out to them.
Holliway said the HEART campaign prioritized a diverse ticket. Their ticket includes students who not only look different but also have different thoughts and perspectives.
“If we’re elected and have the honor and privilege of serving as president and vice president, you best believe we’re going to do the work to actually uphold those positions and make it known student government is here for students,” Holliway said.
Students can view HEART’s policies and updates on its campaign Instagram, @holliwaygonzalez26.
