ASLMU candidates speak on their platforms | News – Los Angeles Loyolan

Jack Palen and Elsie Mares

Kennedi Hewitt (K.H.): What made you decide to run for ASLMU?

Jack Palen (J.P.): I had, especially in my time with the InterFraternity Council, really just fallen in love with working with my peers around me and working to empower everyone around me. I had an interest in running. Elsie and I had known each other since freshman year because we were sort of in the same major track and fell into the same learning community and had a bunch of classes together. So when I was thinking about running, she was one of the first people I thought of. I reached out to her and we made it happen.

Elsie Mares (E.M.): For me, I was honestly a little bit hesitant about running I really love to do behind the scenes work like policy, event planning, things like that. So, once I talked to some past vice presidents, they reassured me that that is really more so what the goal of vice president is That made me really excited because I feel like its the best of both worlds and you get to really introduce policies and initiatives that impact the communities I care about and have been working with during my three years at LMU, while not having to necessarily be the face of ASLMU.

K.H.: Why do you think ASLMU is important on campus?

J.P.: I think ASLMU is important because with student government, you have the opportunity to institutionalize support Everything weve done outside ASLMU is very important, but when it comes to the conversation of what student government can look like at its best when you bring that support to the highest levels in involvement, thats when you can really take it to the next level and turn it up a notch whether that's in terms of funding, visibility or sharing that funding and visibility with the groups prior to ASLMU that Elsie and I have been working with and supporting.

E.M.: I think that this years administration was a really good example of the power that ASLMU can have for really important issues that affect a lot of the student body. Next year were getting housing that doesnt have transphobic rules, at least a section of housing and hopefully that extends to all of on-campus housing. I dont think that would have been possible without advocacy on behalf of the people who have been in positions of leadership. Which is really unfortunate because there had been people doing that work way prior to that and advocating for that way prior to that, but it really does sometimes take people within positions of leadership to take that fight to another level and use their access to administration to advocate for things of that nature.

K.H.: How will you bring about change in this role?

J.P.: One of the main goals that Elsie and I have is the ability to bring agency to a lot of student organizations on campus. Its not like I plan on stepping into the role of ASLMU president if we happen to win the election and just write in policy that I deem to be important to students who live very different lives and have completely different identities than I do. Its more my goal to get into that position and empower them as much as I can and give them the agency to write and take action that reflects what the organization needs and what the organization is interested in.

E.M.: We want to bring change in that ASLMU is used more as a tool for advocacy and improving the lives of students on the margins and basically improving the lives of students in general. So anyone who is in an RSO, we want them to know that ASLMU is there to support them. Anyone who is trying to find their place on campus, we want them to know that ASLMU is there as a resource. Anyone who is facing structural challenges that the institution is causing, ASLMU is your advocate.

K.H.: What do you think qualifies you to be President and Vice President?

J.P.: I think Elsie and I have such a large network that if we do have a goal were able to sort of bring everyone into the fold using that network. I also think Elsie and I have so much experience already working with students in the capacity of different leadership roles that were able to bring to ASLMU the same energy we've been bringing over the past three years. Just again circling back to the different level of abilities that come with student government and were able to take it that much further. Elsie and I won't be doing much differently, we will just be doing it with a student government and therefore doing it to a greater extent.

E.M.: I think what should motivate people to run is the general interest and impacting certain communities and certain areas. I think Jack and I both have a genuine passion for the people around us and the quality of life that students at LMU have and are experiencing. So I don't think that's necessarily a qualifier but I think that's the motivation. And I think when that motivation is really pure and there, that's what leads to really authentic leadership and a leadership that doesn't burn out when it gets difficult.

Alex Smith and Elsa Wilson

K.H.: What made you decide to run for ASLMU?

Alex Smith (A.S.): Being involved in ASLMU really contributed to this decision. I remember in the fall how I just started working with Ken and Emily and how excited I was for that position. I thought, I have an extra year left and I think itll be really cool if I did this with someone else like Ken and Emily did. So I thought of Elsa. Elsa and I had a very memorable conversation at the Lair over some chicken tenders one day and it kind of started from there and weve been planning since the fall.

Elsa Wilson (E.W.): As two out-of-state students, we were both pretty nervous to make that jump. LMU has really become a home for both of us so to be able to have the opportunity to do everything we can to make it that much better for incoming Lions and those with a few years left, we were just so excited about that opportunity. And to do it with one of my best friends makes it that much better.

K.H.: Why do you think ASLMU is important on campus?

A.S.: I'd say ASLMU is all about promoting the student experience. I think right now that's exactly what we need for when we get back to campus in the fall after all of this craziness is over. I think ASLMU and their decisions and programs such as Fallapalooza and After Sunset get the students involved and are very popular and fun. ASLMU is also responsible for initiatives like the menstrual hygiene initiative and Divest LMU and everything else weve been working on this past year.

E.W.: ASLMU is the direct way for students to talk to the administration and higher ups who are in control of decisions happening to the University. So if students have a personal problem, it's the ASLMUs president's job to bring that to the University president and the board of trustees.

K.H.: How will you bring about change in this role?

A.S.: Definitely through our initiatives and platforms, I think we have some really good ideas for that. One of the bigger ways in how we're going to bring about change is Elsa and I both have experience in ASLMU and we both understand how it works and how to talk to the LMU administration and make sure these ideas get by. I think our Lyft initiative will definitely help in regards to transportation and making our campus safe. I think we have a good idea with the pop-up thrift shop Everything we have is tangible and definitely doable and well thought out and I think that is the best way to get stuff done.

E.W.: The big thing that were stressing is that we want students to directly feel the effects of student government whether that be through the involvement fund where ASLMU will pay a portion of the dues for students to join an RSO, or the Lyft initiative that Alex was talking about to provide a cheaper resource for students to get around our little corner of L.A. So were really stressing equity. We both know how this works so everything that we're presenting is very feasible and likely to get done if were elected.

K.H.: What do you think qualifies you to be President and Vice President?

A.S.: First and foremost I like to say that everyone running against us is very qualified and we have a lot of leaders on campus who are qualified for the role of President as well. However, I think what sets us apart is our relationship with each other and we have a lot of good ideas and a lot of plans on how to incorporate leadership into that role. Half of the role is working on our initiatives and the other half is how to be a leader, how to treat others with respect and how to listen.

E.W.: It wasn't a strategic choice to run together, it's that we work really well together and we have a lot of similar ideas. We act in a lot of the same ways and one thing that we both stress is being intentional with everything we do. So we're not running just to say our senior year of college we were in charge of the student body, were intentional in everything we do and we're doing this because we really care about LMU.

Anya Montgomery and Taylor Pajunen

K.H.: What made you decide to run for ASLMU?

Anya Montgomery (A.M.): We are currently both on ASLMU and have, for the full year, been working up to this point together. We've been really engaged with the initiatives of this current administration. I love the work that they're doing and have been concerned about those values being upheld in the future. For me personally, I recognize the really big importance in having people of color and queer people representation in high leadership roles, like I'm non-binary, my pronouns are they/them. It's really important for the maintenance of health and safety and wellness and empowerment of our students.

Taylor Pajunen (T.P.): I joined ASLMU towards the end of my freshman year so it's kind of been my home and I've seen how student government can be a positive and a very negative thing I don't think that we should be the ones taking and doing, I think we should be the ones uplifting and supporting other groups that are already doing that work.

K.H.: Why do you think ASLMU is important on campus?

A.M.: ASLMU is the biggest and the most impactful bridge between the student body and administrative bodies. There's a lot going on at LMU. LMU is a business as well as an institution of learning so there needs to be some sort of liaison creating that transparency between students and administrators.

T.P.: A lot of initiatives that student organizations have started have been amazing but due to people graduating or movements dying off, ASLMU, due to how grounded it is in the University, is able to continue these movements.

K.H.: How will you bring about change in this role?

A.M.: Our platform is largely based on uplifting and empowering voices and creating and maintaining community. We want to be as open as possible and have our doors open to student perspectives and hear about their experiences. We do not have every experience in the world and therefore cannot speak to it and we do not want to speak to it over someone who can tell their own story.

T.P.: Weve also been thinking a lot about what the word inclusive means. I feel like this is a pretty big buzzword. Yes, our goal is to have a very welcoming LMU community, but we must recognize that we should not be making people conform to what LMUs standards are. We should be transforming and making ourselves more accessible to people.

K.H.: What do you think qualifies you to be President and Vice President?

A.M.: We are doing the work. I think in doing this campaign we've learned so much about ourselves as leaders and how much we care. We are in community. These things we are fighting for are things that we have recognized as needs for ourselves during our time at LMU. We are thinking critically about our own experiences and are engaging in conversations to expand our knowledge of student needs. And we have ASLMU experiences such as ASLMU secretary and the athletics senator.

T.P.: During my time in ASLMU, Ive seen how ASLMU works, but also how a broader student government works. A lot of action does not happen in student governments across the country due to the short time that we have. It takes a long time to get comfortable and to actually be productive in a position within student government I started my freshman year and I didn't feel fully into it until the middle of my sophomore year. But here I am now, my junior year, and I feel like I made these connections and I made relationships and I know how to write legislation. I recognize that doesn't make me holier than thou or better than, but it makes me someone who's done the prep work and is ready to continue this work.