After the start of the pandemic and social unrest that took place following the murder of George Floyd, sophomore mathematics major and Sigma Hall senator Nevin Slaughter felt motivated to find a way to help Biola to navigate difficult conversations.
“I really wanted to see that change in Biola instead of continuing and pretending like it didn’t happen,” Slaughter said.
Junior political science major Laurel Wagner worked in the Student Government Association for two years as an intern and now serves as the Horton Hall senator. She always knew she was interested in running as vice president and took it as a sign when Slaughter asked her to run alongside him because of her passion for SGA.
Now Slaughter and Wagner are running for SGA president and vice president for the 2021-2022 school year.
CHALLENGING. GROWING. BECOMING.
Slaughter and Wagner’s campaign slogan is “Challenging. Growing. Becoming.” They want to create events and opportunities to challenge people spiritually, mentally and physically with the hopes of students becoming what the Lord wants them to be.
Some of the ways they hope to see this come to fruition would be by expanding the food pantry, and increasing opportunities for discussion and conversation that cover difficult topics.
“When those hot button issues come, everyone dives for cover,” Slaughter said. “We want to actually create a community of change.”
After this last school year, the word “challenging” is relevant to all students, according to Wagner. If elected, their desire is to be challenged alongside the Biola community as Biola’s “all as one” theme.
“Challenges ultimately lead to growth, so we want to grow with the community too,” Wagner said. “And, ultimately, become who God created us to be for his kingdom.”
CAMPAIGNING DURING COVID-19
Wagner recalled her campaign last year and how she hung up posters around campus and networked with students. This year is vastly different, according to Wagner, because of COVID-19 limitations. She also explained how there is a limited number of students around.
Wagner explained that although campaigning in this moment is difficult, they are making their online presence more prominent.
“Our campaign is for everyone,” Wagner said. “We’re running for online students and on-campus students, so it’s been different but we’re trying to connect to all students.”
Slaughter agreed that running the campaign has been more difficult, and he added that it can also be stressful. Unlike his running mate Wagner, he is not on campus. He is trying to find the balance between getting their message out to students and making sure not to bombard them with unnecessary information.
Slaughter added that because everything has been remote, it is easier for them to simply join Zoom calls or send emails to different clubs to spread awareness of their message.
WHY SLAUGHTER AND WAGNER?
In Slaughter and Wagner’s time working in SGA, they both have learned how to connect with their constituents. Wagner believes that they can offer a unique perspective because she is on campus and he is online.
Slaughter added that the openness of their campaign would show that as individuals, they are willing to listen to the community and be challenged. Their desire is not only for change within the Biola community but change within themselves.
