By: Taylor Trahan, Manship School of Mass Communication, Creative Team
Think of every single political campaign you have ever come in contact with. Every push card, yard sign, commercial or handout. The second you see it your eyes are drawn to the words in the largest, boldest fonts. The main message is there in those letters. What is it that you normally see? If I had to lay money on it, I’d say it’s the candidates’ last names. If you remember nothing else from the campaign, those candidates want you to know their names in the booth on Election Day.
Take a moment to view the Make It Matter logo and keep in mind the largest, boldest words.
When I was first approached about helping out with Helen and Wesley’s campaign, I was told was that they wanted to do things differently. To be honest, I didn’t think much of it. Wanting to “be different” is not exactly a revolutionary idea. Of course I wanted to help out in any way I could but I didn’t quite understand the mission. Little did I know that Helen and Wesley’s quest to be different was no joke. From the get-go, their tactics, attitudes and style were nothing like anything I’d seen in my time at LSU. When they told me about the Hot Seat my first thought was that it was going to be a bust (okay, I lie. My first thought was about the chair being so ugly). Let me tell you that the Hot Seat was anything but a bust. Students, just like you, took a seat and talked up a storm. Helen and Wesley’s mission was formed in those moments and the message became very simple. Make It Matter.
With a mission, a message and a goal in mind…the Make It Matter campaign was launched. Something that I absolutely love about the path they chose to take is that, primarily, they use their first names instead of their last. Try to think of an elected official in your city or state that you’re on a first name basis with.
Assuming you didn’t already know them prior to their candidacy, you were probably hard pressed to think of one. Political figures are often times distant from their constituents outside of election season.
When these two phenomenal people told me they wanted to “be different,” I had no idea how they were going to. Now I know. They can and will do everything in their limits to make sure the loudest voice in student government is yours.
So, what’s my point? My point is that this is not politics. Yes, it is political in nature. There are campaigns, there are votes, there are platforms and there are debates. But I’m here to tell you that Helen, Wesley and the entirety of the Make It Matter team don’t want to play politics with the students. Do we want your vote? Of course we do. There’s no denying that and I’m not going to pretend there is. However, the successful execution of this campaign means bringing down walls between students and student government. It means an open door policy and calling President Frink just Helen. It means letting students provide input and solutions to things that impact them everyday. It means being a part of something that can be so much bigger than the sum of senators, judicial members and executive staff. It means continually taking the compassion for this university and all of its facets to the next level.
Go back to the Make It Matter logo and think of the largest words again. The message is simple. Helen, Wesley and the incredible, passionate group of individuals they have chosen want to Make It Matter. They want to make YOU matter and I guarantee you that if you choose them they will.
Think of every single political campaign you have ever come in contact with. Every push card, yard sign, commercial or handout. The second you see it your eyes are drawn to the words in the largest, boldest fonts. The main message is there in those letters. What is it that you normally see? If I had to lay money on it, I’d say it’s the candidates’ last names. If you remember nothing else from the campaign, those candidates want you to know their names in the booth on Election Day.
Take a moment to view the Make It Matter logo and keep in mind the largest, boldest words.
When I was first approached about helping out with Helen and Wesley’s campaign, I was told was that they wanted to do things differently. To be honest, I didn’t think much of it. Wanting to “be different” is not exactly a revolutionary idea. Of course I wanted to help out in any way I could but I didn’t quite understand the mission. Little did I know that Helen and Wesley’s quest to be different was no joke. From the get-go, their tactics, attitudes and style were nothing like anything I’d seen in my time at LSU. When they told me about the Hot Seat my first thought was that it was going to be a bust (okay, I lie. My first thought was about the chair being so ugly). Let me tell you that the Hot Seat was anything but a bust. Students, just like you, took a seat and talked up a storm. Helen and Wesley’s mission was formed in those moments and the message became very simple. Make It Matter.
With a mission, a message and a goal in mind…the Make It Matter campaign was launched. Something that I absolutely love about the path they chose to take is that, primarily, they use their first names instead of their last. Try to think of an elected official in your city or state that you’re on a first name basis with.
Assuming you didn’t already know them prior to their candidacy, you were probably hard pressed to think of one. Political figures are often times distant from their constituents outside of election season.
When these two phenomenal people told me they wanted to “be different,” I had no idea how they were going to. Now I know. They can and will do everything in their limits to make sure the loudest voice in student government is yours.
So, what’s my point? My point is that this is not politics. Yes, it is political in nature. There are campaigns, there are votes, there are platforms and there are debates. But I’m here to tell you that Helen, Wesley and the entirety of the Make It Matter team don’t want to play politics with the students. Do we want your vote? Of course we do. There’s no denying that and I’m not going to pretend there is. However, the successful execution of this campaign means bringing down walls between students and student government. It means an open door policy and calling President Frink just Helen. It means letting students provide input and solutions to things that impact them everyday. It means being a part of something that can be so much bigger than the sum of senators, judicial members and executive staff. It means continually taking the compassion for this university and all of its facets to the next level.
Go back to the Make It Matter logo and think of the largest words again. The message is simple. Helen, Wesley and the incredible, passionate group of individuals they have chosen want to Make It Matter. They want to make YOU matter and I guarantee you that if you choose them they will.