The Daily Illini sat down with Illinois Student Council presidential candidate Jaden Campbell, junior in LAS, and vice presidential candidate Ethan Lopez, junior in LAS, to discuss their campaign.
Voting for ISC president and vice president, along with several other student government positions, will be open between Tuesday at noon and Thursday at 11:59 a.m. at this link.
Their beginnings
This is only Campbell’s second semester at the University, after three years at Parkland College, where he held several student government positions, including student trustee. His running mate has two years of experience with Illinois student government, though, having chaired ISC’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee and sat on its Ethics Board, in addition to serving on the University Senate.
Lopez said he had grown increasingly disillusioned with ISC, but took the opportunity to step up when he met Campbell, who he realized was “the real deal.”
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“Jaden is a born and bred activist, this guy is an advocate,” Lopez said. “He brings his experience from Parkland and his chops in being this really effective advocate for students … he has the vision, and I can use my expertise to make sure that we can make it reality for ISC.”
The 5-point plan
Campbell and Lopez’s platform consists of five main priorities. The first stresses protecting vulnerable individuals on campus, including undocumented students and international students in fear of visa revocations.
The pair wants to look out for “everyday Illini,” through initiatives such as improving building accessibility and creating an easier transition to college for first-years. As self-proclaimed “RSO men,” the pair seek to provide greater access to University spaces and resources for RSOs.
In The DI’s interview with the opposing ticket, Gabi DalSanto, junior in ACES and ISC presidential candidate, claimed ISC had no control over this process, and that it is under the purview of the Student Org Development & Administration. Campbell and Lopez defended their campaign point, affirming that they can use the testimonies of concerned students to request changes from the University administration.
Another of their campaign points focuses on holding the administration accountable on issues like divestment and expression policy. Finally, the team plans to work on better integrating ISC with the rest of campus and increasing student awareness of their activities.
Campbell said that, as a 10-year resident of Champaign-Urbana, he cares deeply about bridging the gap between campus and the broader community.
“If we are selected to lead, that’s something that we need to take consideration of, reaching out to people here in our hometown, in our backyard, and (bringing) them to these doors and welcoming them with open arms,” Campbell said.
Their unique campaign
In spite of running against the current ISC president, Campbell is confident that his experience and character position him better for the role. He cited his time in Parkland’s student government, where he traveled to the state capitol to advocate for adequate community college funding.
He said he’s excited to scale what he learned while representing 6,000 students to this opportunity to represent 60,000.
“I’m new to ISC, and so I think it opens the opportunity for me to really rely on my cabinet, to rely on someone like Ethan, who’s been in ISC for three years, to rely on Congress,” Campbell said. “I’m not gonna say I know everything. I think that not only makes me a better leader, but makes me more knowledgeable as well.”
Lopez pointed out that there is much overlap between the two tickets’ ideas on policy. However, he said, his administration would bring a more “professional” approach to the office.
“We’re hoping to bring a wealth of experience in student government, here and over there, in Parkland, in RSO experience, in leadership experience, and bring a more professionalized approach to ISC,” Lopez said.
He said he and Campbell hope to avoid the cabinet turnover he claimed was problematic in DalSanto’s first administration and increase engagement with the community through more frequent “fireside chats.”
“I provide a lot of perspective that (DalSanto and Mohsin) combined don’t yet have because I’ve spent the time, I’ve paid my dues,” Lopez said. “Jaden brings a wealth of experience in managing and resetting a student government that was kind of faltering and failing. We bring these intangibles that can improve what is, frankly, an organization that must be improved.”
Campbell ended by affirming his enthusiasm for supporting the student body as president.
“How do we show up for the people that matter most?” Campbell asked. “I think it’s being consistent in that presence … not just seeing me on a fireside chat, but to see me in person, to know me by my name. I think that’s what is really needed, and that’s all about showing up.”
