Student body president candidates Lamar Richards and Keshav Javvadi had their final debate Monday — the night before the 2021 student government elections.
The candidates debated topics including Greek life, LGBTQ+ student support, mental health policies and other student and faculty concerns. The debate was held over Zoom, and each candidate had one minute to answer questions submitted by those attending live or by the moderator.
In his introduction, Richards said that, if elected, he wants to “establish a foundation for marginalized students and underrepresented students to be better connected and feel heard within student government.”
Javvadi said he strives to be as accessible and emphatic as possible while getting the opinions of teammates and colleagues to challenge his own beliefs.
“Students in government cannot possibly solve the issues that students face if the students who have faced those issues aren’t at the table to begin with,” Javvadi said.
Student activism
When asked how the candidates plan to coordinate student activism to make real changes at the University, Javvadi said he plans on increasing student engagement across all platforms while ensuring student advocates have a place within student government and UNC's administration.
“Not just recruiting students to work in the administration, but maintaining channels of contact and communication with student advocates throughout the entire years so we're aware what the pressing student issues are,” Javvadi said.
Richards began his response by acknowledging that past student body presidents have not been as involved in activism as they should have. He said he plans on fostering spaces of collaboration where student activists can get together and bolster support for these groups.
