Opinion: Students Pick Favorite SGA Candidates

AJ and Chris

 

Lillian Abbatacola

 

In my three years at Liberty, I have seen SGA do little for the majority of students here. From the outside, the association looks like a bunch of government majors playing Congress in an effort to burn the Liberty Way to the ground.

 

The importance of this election is underestimated, as the ticket holds three highly contrasting campaigns: A French Revolution, Pi Kappa Phi and the AJ and Chris administration.

 

This is how I saw SGA until AJ and Chris asked me to be a part of their team. My view of SGA changed because working with AJ Strom and Chris Porter — two very motivated and honest guys — showed me that SGA can be something so much more than its reputation allows for.

 

AJ and Chris want SGA to continue to be a Christian Service opportunity — but one where the rules of SGA are fully implemented and not ignored, where the sub-standard qualifications for the CSER hours are upped.

 

AJ and Chris have the humility to not force an agenda down the throats of students in a commanding way, but to open up lines of communication so that any and every Liberty student, not just popular ones, can feel comfortable approaching their delegate to ask for change. While the structure for this to happen may be in place, it is not being implemented. The AJ and Chris campaign has been the only campaign to concretely say this is a part of their mission.

 

AJ and Chris want to work for the students at Liberty and with the administration. This has already been seen in how AJ pursued the alcohol resolution earlier this year. When the administration said no, AJ went back to the drawing board on behalf of the students and tried to work with the administration on the idea.

 

If I could sum up my work with AJ and Chris, it is about honesty. They are honest with their team, and I don’t feel like I have to overlook skeletons in their closets. They want true accountability between students and their SGA delegates, to put the power in the hands of the students to create change.

 

They truly want the absolute best and most for Liberty students; this isn’t a popularity contest. SGA is not Student Activities or the Center4ME. SGA is an avenue for students to be heard, and making SGA into the likes of another office strips each office of its due power.

 

This is why I will be voting in my first SGA presidential and vice-presidential election, because AJ and Chris want change to come by the hands of the students in an honest and structured way.

 

Caleb and Esther

 

Lexy Rutt

 

Many student body presidents begin their campaigns and times in office with good intentions and promises of what they’ll do in the coming months. But by the end of the school year, it often seems that little has been accomplished, or at least, little that matters. It’s no wonder so many of us are cynical about student government.

 

But it is for this reason that I am so passionate about Caleb Fitzpatrick and Esther Lusenge’s campaign — because I truly believe in the difference they desire to make and have seen first-hand in the lives they have positively impacted.

 

I’m not involved in SGA; politics kind of scare me, and I never thought I’d be on a campaign team. But immediately after hearing Caleb and Esther’s Christ-centered vision for the student body and the Lynchburg community, I knew this was something I needed to be part of. What’s amazing to me is that people are already feeling a change. Regardless of whether Caleb and Esther win, students have expressed feelings and have been heard and welcomed to the table.

 

Our campaign team speaks volumes to this because of the ethnically, politically and spiritually diverse group of people that are working together to make change happen. To be honest, I don’t agree with everyone on the team about every single issue, and I love that because diversity of thought challenges and prompts us to think further about what we believe and helps us to be more compassionate toward one another.

 

For those of us who do not feel marginalized or oppressed, that’s great. But if we claim to love Jesus, we need to be concerned about those who are hurting because they don’t feel equally represented or heard. Caleb and Esther believe that, in order for students to feel safe expressing their spiritual, political or other views, we need to cultivate an atmosphere where students feel they can come and share their hearts and minds.

 

As the body of Christ, we should be invested in the burdens of those around us, so just because you or I may not feel oppressed, it doesn’t mean that our brother or sister can say the same. It’s time to allow that brother and sister in the room to speak.

 

If you’re jaded about SGA and politics in general, I get it. But I urge you to reflect this week on what bothers you, about the impact you want to see in this school and the community around it, and then vote. Don’t vote because you are friends with the candidate or because the T-shirt design is cool. Vote because the candidate’s platform and vision inspire and resonate with you. Vote for Caleb and Esther, not just because of the change they’ve promised, but because of the change they’ve already made.

Page and Rockey

 

Nathan Farley

 

Jacob Page may be nothing more than a person running for student body president to you, but to me, he’s a great friend. We’ve had long talks about our doubts, fears and dreams of the future: “What does God want to do with my life? How can I leave a lasting legacy?” 

I know more than the talking points about Jacob Page and Derek Rockey’s campaign; I actually know Page and Rockey. So, let me introduce you to them.

Once you live with someone, you see the best and worst sides of them. Are they prideful? Are they gossips? Are they entitled? None of those words come to mind when I think of Page. He has big dreams for our school, but he knows that nobody can have an enduring legacy without having deep integrity. His love for God and God’s people is on display for all to see. The people who know him best are the ones who talk highly of him. Page is more than a man with good ideas; he’s a man who walks humbly with his God.

I did not have the privilege of knowing Rockey before the campaign, but because I live with Jake, I have seen Rockey multiple times a day for the past month or so. I started to get to know him and was quickly impressed. Did you know that Rockey is the current sophomore class president? You might remember that he made a promise last year to attend every Lynchburg City Council meeting so that he could hear the needs of our city and connect them with the resources of our university. Rockey kept his promise, which is why Rockey has a good reputation with our city leaders. He consistently asks, “How can we serve you?”

Page and Rockey are always talking about “having a vision that you can see.” They’re not content with throwing around the buzz words you typically hear from campaigns. They want to utilize the lawn space in front of the Montview Student Center. Why not have our cookouts there before football games? And why not get the marching band to change their route to march right through the middle of the madness? They also want to be salt and light to the city of Lynchburg. Thanks to the already-established relationships they have, Page and Rockey will make Campus Serve and Serve Lynchburg even better!

Page and Rockey aren’t just two of my friends. They are two leaders I want to represent me to both the school and the Lynchburg community. Let’s vote on April 20 for Page and Rockey!