When we began this journey to run for president and vice president, we had no idea what to expect. For some time now, Student Government seemed like this inaccessible resource that was only available for a very particular set of students. Ever since we stepped foot on this campus, it has felt that way to us and many other students on the Forty Acres. The culture that surrounds Student Government is one that appears to have its doors closed to outsiders, instead of one that promotes a culture of inclusion and transparency.

That is a huge issue. A huge issue that feeds into the larger issue that surrounds the UT community: lack of representation and communication with students. Oftentimes you hear that Student Government is just a place where the same tight-knit group of government majors go to pretend like they care about issues that many students are facing on campus. You hear that instead of being the organizer of students, Student Government has been distilled into being just another student organization. 

There is no reason why students on this campus should feel like they don’t have a say in what policies are being implemented that directly affect them. There is no reason why students on this campus should feel like the students who were elected to be an extension of their voices are instead drowning out their cries with the sound of their own selfish ambitions. There is no reason why students on this campus see such a powerful organization, created to foster change, as just another fraternity or sorority. 

Our goal is simple. We want to earn back the trust of the students who believed that this organization could be a vehicle for substantive, tangible and lasting change. To do that, we have made it our mission to prove to you that, through every step of the way, we will have the students’ best interest in mind by focusing our platform on accessibility, inclusion and making sure that your voice is heard. 

This is a campus that has become a home for many of us. You should be able to feel heard, seen and felt through every piece of legislation that goes through the assembly. Every bill, every idea, every action, should be a reflection of the change that you want to see directly. 

We may be outsiders with limited knowledge of the bureaucracy that is UT Student Government, but that’s what makes us all the more effective. We aren’t ingrained in the system that we want to see changed. We have a fresh perspective, and we are hungry for change. That hunger won’t be satiated until we create the change we want to see. The change that you want to see. And frankly, the change that we need to see. This isn’t about us. This is about you and the change that we are determined to deliver to you. Hook ‘em!