Sophomore biological sciences major Zoe Taper and sophomore nursing major Lesanra Lo decided to run for Student Government Association president and senior vice president with the goal to make SGA resources more available to the community.
WHY TAPER AND LO?
In their time as senators, Taper and Lo have learned how to best serve the community around them, finding a passion for doing the same at a broader scale.
“We truly hear and see what the Biola community is struggling with and we believe in our own capabilities to be the bridge between administration and the student body,” Taper said.
The candidates also hope to use their positions to facilitate students’ abilities to connect with administration, and subsequently, serve the community better.
EMPOWER YOUR PRESENCE
Both Taper and Lo currently serve as senators in Stewart Hall and Alpha Hall, respectively, but felt the job was limiting. They attribute their growth as individuals to the shared goal of serving and giving back to the community.
“I think SGA would be a great source of showing my gratitude and appreciation to the community by serving them and hearing their concerns and opinions,” Lo said in an email.
As a way to thank the Biola community, the pair came up with “Empower Your Presence,” a slogan that aims to allow students to feel more seen and connected throughout campus. In addition to the slogan, the campaign pushes for the three R’s, which read as relationship, resources and recognition.
“Through this, we want to be transparent with SGA matters and to continue to communicate with the students by hosting more events and getting their feedback,” Lo said in an email. “SGA is a resource, but each individual role is the key resource that students should use and know that they can come to the executive boards/ senators, that they are the people that can give us the help we need, and who will advocate for us.”
The candidates also strive to allow students to voice their opinions on SGA matters such as proposals, events and their budget.
“We want to encourage the knowledge of the student body of what the SGA team can serve with our resources which are go-cards, scholarships, administrative partners,” Lo said.
The hope is that by allowing students to share their testimonies, opinions and experiences, SGA will more accurately represent the diverse community around them. Taper and Lo are striving to make SGA about their constituents’ stories rather than their own and to keep the relationship between them transparent and clear.
CAMPAIGNING DURING COVID-19
Although this semester of elections looks different, Taper and Lo have been creative with how students can find them. Lo explained that they have created an Instagram account, a website, posters and campaign tables by the Caf in order to reach everyone they can.
“The only hard part is that to the people not on campus, it is harder to for us to let them know what is in our hearts and our entire platform, as social media can only do so much,” Lo wrote in an email.
