Pushcards, stickers and trinkets will pepper the campus for the next few weeks.
Four pairs of Student Government presidential and vice presidential contenders announced their candidacies and their proposed changes to SG on Wednesday, officially commencing campaign season.
Aaron Caffarel and Allison Robison, Garrett Dupre and Jarrett Richard, David Jones and Kacey Brister, and Cody Wells and Kathleen Bordelon announced their campaigns.
Caffarel and Robison said their campaign, “NOW,” will focus on creating relationships with legislators to find “long-term solutions to the financial crisis facing higher education in the state.”
The pair said its ticket advocates increased student involvement within organizations, in cultural campus events and on faculty committees. They also said they want to increase campus sustainability and strengthen SG’s “visibility and accessibility.”
“My purpose at LSU is to represent the best interests of my fellow students and serve them in whatever capacity I am able, just as those before us have aimed to do,” Caffarel said.
Alexandra Westermann, who is running on Caffarel and Robison’s ticket, said they will work to better the University, and she is ready to implement changes.
Dupre and Richard, who refer to themselves as a combination of their first name initials, GJ, are supporting heightened communication in their campaign, “Open Source.” They said they want “all members of the LSU community” to voice their opinions.
“We are speaking directly to individuals, and that is something I want to make perfectly clear,” Dupre said. “If you want to go to lunch with Jarrett or myself, go ahead and hit us up.”
Dupre and Richard said they hope to establish a system where University organization leaders “supply input” to SG and a “Congress of RAs,” who will discuss with SG how to “better the lives of residents.” They also said they support financial transparency so students can see how all SG funds are appropriated.
“That’s what we’re here for: open communication first, followed by the leadership to put your values in action,” Dupre said.
Jones and Brister’s campaign, “Defining Our Future,” is centered around maintaining the University’s flagship status and propelling the University to achieve greatness in the future. They said they will fight budget cuts and promote campus safety and sustainability.
“Do you realize we are the pinnacle of public education in the state?” Jones said. “If we fail, everyone fails.”
Sen. Emily Landry, E. J. Ourso College of Business, said she thinks Jones and Brister are the pair that will “most genuinely listen to the students.”
“They’re both in touch with a large, diverse range of student groups,” Landry said.
Wells and Bordelon said they have been discussing changes they would make to SG since their freshman years, leading them to their campaign, “Together LSU.”
Wells and Bordelon said they hope to reroute the bus system to extend service not only to Tigerland, but also to the downtown area. They also said they want to increase lighting on campus, offer a shuttle to the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays and allow part-time students who are veterans access to tickets for football games.
“My mission is to bring students together from all walks of life to discuss and solve the issues we face every day and also to discover ways that we can improve the student experience,” Wells said.
Iftekhar Rouf, accounting senior, said he approves of the veterans’ initiative and said the Farmers’ Market bus system is a good idea for international students and those who live on campus.
Contributing writers Parker Cramer and Kevin Thibodeaux also contributed to this report.
 
 
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Contact Andrea Gallo at [email protected]