BYUSA presidential candidates Brooke Layton and Ethan Baker introduced their campaigns in preparation for the 2022 election, which will open for one-day online voting on March 3.
Layton, a public health junior from Idaho, has plans to make campus feel welcome to all who attend. Her campaign slogan is “Making Our House a Home,” with initiatives of outreach, awareness and engagement. She also wants to connect better with the different student organizations on campus.
Layton emphasized during a Feb. 3 Q&A how she wants to help those on campus who feel alone to know they always have a place, especially within BYUSA.
“Our social media is going to be focused a lot on the stories of students and what their experience at BYU has been,” Layton said at a Q&A on Feb. 3.
Baker, a sociology junior and Minnesota native is pushing his campaign of “Better Together.” During the Q&A he said he wants to place importance on fostering an interconnected community on campus.
Baker said social capital, or the connections people make with one another, is a factor that changes lives. He wants students to find their “why” and connect with their peers to make a better life for themselves, essentially increasing their social capital.
“One big thing is helping get people involved. We reached the strong-voiced groups on campus and even smaller groups on campus. We’re finding out that they’re realizing why they’re better with us and why they’re better together,” Baker said at the Q&A.
Logan Mann, the assistant director of the Student Connection and Leadership Center, helps facilitate the presidential candidates throughout this election process. He oversees the campaigns of both candidates and makes sure they are fulfilling their necessary jobs and responsibilities as running nominees.
“We help coach the candidates through a process of developing what we call their connection and leadership plan, which is where they kind of formulate their platform — things they’re interested in trying to focus on or emphasize in their campaign,” Mann said.
According to Mann, the candidates will have a campaign rally for students to learn more about their initiatives on Feb. 24 in the Wilkinson Center.
Readers can learn more about the presidential candidates and their corresponding campaigns on their Instagram accounts and the Student Connection and Leadership Center website.
