Flora Yang, a third-year student, and Zeke Jackson, a third-year student, will take over as president and vice president of the Minnesota Student Association at the University of Minnesota (MSA) for the 2022-23 academic year.
What was the strategy for your presidential campaign?
Jackson: “One of the big things we knew from the beginning of the campaign was that one of our focuses would be on reaching out and healing some of the broken relationships MSA has with other student groups on campus. That was a really big emphasis on our campaign strategy, like ‘Hey, we’re running for president/vice president, we want to work with you. Even if we don’t win, now we know each other so we can work together.’”
What are your main goals going into next year?
Yang: “I think the past year, students have had to handle a lot. Our platform, and what we wanted to do, is really centralize making the University more holistically accessible, so students can have more success and overall well being. This was the platform for what we wanted our campaign to look like.”
Jackson: “A lot of students across campus are doing really amazing work, but everyone’s working in silos right now. One thing we want to make sure MSA is doing a better job of is making sure that anyone can come to MSA, talk to us, no one’s sitting alone not being talked to, and people are able to collaborate.”
What are you looking forward to the most next year?
Jackson: “I’d say we first need to focus on the advocacy work that has been going on from this year. We want to continue that type of work. On top of that, we have some initiatives that are more specific to our campaign.”
Yang: “I’m really looking forward to talking to student groups and administrators and even legislators to get the work we want to get done accomplished so that we can break down tangible barriers that students are facing. Some initiatives that are specific to our campaign platform are increasing mental health funding and sexual assault advocacy. That aspect of our mental health and wellness pillar are a big part of what I really want to focus on, which looks like working with administration and increasing funding to make sure all students feel supported regardless of their social backgrounds. One of the reasons I really like this organization so much is because of the staff. I think we have a really strong team going into next year.”
What change do you hope you can make in your presidency?
Yang: “We need to step up and make sure we give students that level of support, especially when MSA’s here to be that backbone for not just student groups, but for every student you can find.”
Jackson: “I think another goal is that MSA can do a better job of speaking the same language as administration. I want us to take our projects and bring them back to administration, speaking back to them in the language that they’re already using. Sometimes I feel like MSA is working on one thing and administration is working on another thing, and they’re not speaking the same language about why what they’re working on is important. We want to better align ourselves with the priorities of the administration overall.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
