What is your Aggie story? 

My Aggie story stems from my grandfather, he was Class of [1955.] I just remember vividly getting to hear from him as I grew up what A&M meant to him, and so didn't grow up with a ton of other Aggies in my family, but he really left an impact on me. I saw the value in what A&M is and what the traditions and just the Aggie experience means to students. That's been a big part of my story. When it came down to senior year, I really was attracted to the community and the type of people that were at A&M. Still, I've just been blown away for the experience that I've had here in College Station.

What organizations are you involved with?

I'm involved with Brotherhood of Christian Aggies. I served on the exec board with them. Love being in Maroon Coats as well. I'm still currently involved in [the] Student Government Association right now as the chief of staff.

Why are you running for student body president, and why do you think you’re qualified for this position?  

A big reason why I want to run for student body president was because I really early on identified in college that I wanted to find a place that I found outside of SGA. I found that within my men's org, but then I also thought that I was like, I realized there [were] the social circles in these groups that existed at A&M. I really wanted to find an opportunity to really get plugged in outside of that. I thought SGA was a really good way of that. It didn't fall under one social sphere, one group, but it really represents the entire student body. I think serving as student body president, kind of as I came into freshman year identified that as one of my missions to get involved in outside of it SGA served that for me, and I'm just seeing the potential that it has, and that I continue to have. I think in the role of SBP, I could really find ways to unify the student body and try and serve and advocate on behalf of students to admin and continually invest back into this place, it has given me so much. I feel like the things that kind of made me qualified, are just that I have experience outside of SGA, and serving in leadership, just being vice president and my men's work right now, but then also have gotten to see the past three student body presidents, I've been on their cabinet and been underneath them. I've seen some things that have worked. I've just feel like I've really gotten to learn from them and their investment in me, and I really am excited at the prospect of potentially serving in this role.

What is your campaign platform?

I just feel like for me, I'm extremely passionate about students. I feel like because of my expertise outside of SGA, and getting to see what student experience has been like, and other student organizations and feeling what that's like, but then also having experience on the inside of SGA, it really gives me a unique perspective on the way that I feel like I can understand, “Hey, these are tangible goals and things that we can really further and accomplish.” But I also feel like the outside experience has given me a little bit of an eye to see some things that can improve. I also know that listening is going to be a huge part of my job and is the thing that I want to emphasize the most as we move forward in SGA. That's something that I'm really eager to bring to the table.

My platform points are kind of broken up into different categories. My first one is unifying campus leaders. I really think that if we can get semesterly events gathered together within SGA, where we have campus leaders coming from all different sides of campus — whether it be Corps, IFC, CPC, engineering, cultural organizations — I think if we can get all these people together at least once a semester, they can collaborate with one another, bounce ideas. I think we could see a lot of opportunity for organizations to work together and unify these social spheres that I was kind of talking about earlier behind my why, but then also really giving SGA an opportunity to say, “Hey, if you ever need anything, please contact us.”

I think that would really give the university and SGA a really good opportunity to work together and that way we can be better listeners. I also am extremely passionate about enhancing the student experience. I really feel like that looks like in a few ways at Digital IDs, working on seeing if we can work on parking progress. I think that's one area that we can really improve upon. But then also for Scantrons, and we were so close. We had free Scantrons for like a week. I know we had some changes in the provost, but I really feel like that's something that we can work together at with admin and make happen. 

But then also with the digital IDs, I know I kind of have talked about it on my platform a lot within the role of student body president, I really can't make any promises because there is no direct power. I really feel like I can advocate and come in the room and say, “Hey, can we get a three to five-year plan, or at least create a backup plan of having a virtual ID instead of a physical ID?” That's one area I really am passionate about. 

Then thirdly, international students. Seven thousand international students on campus. I've been hearing from a lot of them it takes 15 business days, on average, to get paperwork back that's critical for their experience, whether they're going to work or travel or anything of that sort. I think if we could just really work with admin on trying to bolster up support and ISS, but then increase communication with them and just be an advocate support group for that community, something that I'm really passionate about. 

Then lastly, the area I got to focus on as being vice president of External Relations, the past two years working with other schools, such as Prairie View A&M. We have an exchange program that I've been working on for the past year or so. I think that we can really see progress moving forward with that. Then also just doing food drives with other SEC schools and things of that sort. 

Then lastly, one area that I really think we can improve is trying to see if we can use the dining dollars that transition after every year, they, I think if we could really use that and dedicate that towards the 12th Can or either food insecurity scholarships. We as students can practice the gift of giving, but then also really invest back into the Aggies who just need some more support. So that's kind of my platform and a few things I'm passionate about.

Campaign slogan

Choose Cade.

Why do you think students should vote for you? 

I feel like students should vote for me just because I want to be the best listener. I am not going to make the promise that I want to be walking in the room and be the main voice. I think I want to gather and listen from all 70,000-74,000 students that make up this campus. I'm gonna continue to advocate for them to the best of my ability and walk into the room with admin with humility. Just knowing that SGA is serving as a support system for the organizations that already exist, and if I can be a part of that, that would just be a great honor and a privilege.

If you could hang out with any former student, who would it be and why? 

If I can hang out with any former student, I think I would hang out with [James] Earl Rudder actually, just because I often when we give tours, I talk about Rudder Tower and how that like red flags [represent] Pointe du Hoc, the exact height of around 110 feet or so the second Ranger Battalion [climbed] back in the day. I think that's a really influential fact that I think really is close to my heart and just kind of what it means to me, but I think getting to hear from him and just like his experience in the military and leading Texas A&M. He's obviously really influential part of what A&M is, and I think that would be somebody that I really want to learn from.

What is your Aggie story? 

Coming from Aggieland, I always [knew] that I had to go to Texas A&M. Both my folks were Aggies, and my grandparents and great-grandparents were Aggies. The moment that I could, I applied to Texas A&M, and I've been so fortunate with the opportunities that I've received because of it.

What organizations are you involved with?

[I’m] involved over with student government, heavily involved in the Bush School. I was a Bush ambassador. Yeah, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. It's a charcuterie board. I've gone through college trying all the cheeses.

Why are you running for student body president, and why do you think you’re qualified for this position?  

I'm running because of some conversations that I've had with good friends of mine. It was in September of this past year, when a friend of mine told me that she lived with five roommates. She could only have three, or she would get a $1,200 fine from the City of College Station. She asked me two questions. The first was, “How can I have that conversation was one of my roommates to ask them to leave?” And the second was, and then “How can I pay for two empty bedrooms?” And so this issue of affordability really has motivated my campaign, whether we're talking about Scantrons, or textbooks — where we pay more than T.U. and Alabama — or simply the issue of “no more than four.” I'm waiting for this to get sliced in all sorts of ways.

I'm qualified because of my experience in policy. The role of the student body president is to serve students by representing them in advocacy. My background is in policy. All my internships have been in policy and my degree suits that sort of work. Being published in a variety of papers in the field of policy I think is also very helpful. At the end of the day, we need a student body president that knows not just the facts, but also how to use them.

What is your campaign platform?

I've always believed that small groups of dedicated individuals can change just about anything. A vote for Ben Crockett means a vote to fight “no more than four.” A vote for Ben Crockett means a commitment to help make Texas A&M tangibly and incrementally more affordable.

I'd say that my main platform centers around the issue of affordability. We've made a commitment to be data-driven. And so here's some quick statistics: Over 50% of African American and Hispanic students at A&M worried about having enough money for food each month. We pay $900 a year on average per student. For textbooks, our rent is higher than 89% of the state. We have a housing burden that's comparable to the San Francisco Bay area. These are huge problems, problems that are difficult for any candidate. You need a student body president to tackle and ultimately, many of them aren't fully solvable. But here's some tangibles that we would like to do to make the lives of students at A&M better. 

The first is we want to encourage widespread adoptions of OERs, which you can conceive of as essentially free textbooks. They save students, an average of $124 per class that they're implemented in. The next is free Scantrons in a similar way, that's been done at the University of Central Florida. And then a third point on education would be creating more textbook scholarships to help Aggies in need. 

Going to the issue of food insecurity. One of the main problems that we have is connecting needs with resources, the Student Government Association has their own food bank, but I know that as [an] organization, we've done a poor job of assisting them in advertising and finding those students that that truly do need our help. 

When it comes to the housing issues, it's twofold. We turned away over 2,000 students for dorm rooms this past year, which quite frankly, is an unacceptable number. Then we have the “no more than four,” which on June 1, students living with more than four people will be fined $1,200. So how we attack those two issues is primarily through the lens of advocacy of which there are two primary methods. The first is your grassroots attempt, and the other is media pressure. We got about 100 students to go to City Hall last fall, about 1,700 signed a petition that we made, and that was very successful at getting part of the no more than four issue ameliorated. And the same thing should be done when it comes to the on-campus housing issue. That I think is just a brief synopsis. 

The truth that I think we all know is one,  affordability suffers participation and traditions suffer. I was working at Brazos Running my sophomore year, and I had, it felt like almost every Saturday morning shift. It's an incredible company. But I had to miss a lot of football games. And I couldn't go to a lot of Midnight Yells the day before. When students are working two, three jobs, it becomes very difficult to participate in those organizations. Those activities that make the Aggie experience what it really is.

Campaign slogan

Count on Crockett.

Why do you think students should vote for you? 

I think that students who want to see tangible change — who are facing food insecurity, facing high education costs and are, just like so many of us, scared by the $1,200 fine that they may face on June 1, because of no more than four — those students, I think should vote Ben Crockett for change. If you're a student that has friends in those situations, I think that also those would be the students that we'd like to help the most.

If you could hang out with any former student, who would it be and why? 

My great-granddad was a former student, and he was in the Corps and, as family lore goes, part of the company that found the first Reveille, and I just think that it'd be so cool to travel back in time and see that story unfold.

What is your Aggie story? 

My dad was an Aggie. He was the 12th Man actually on the football game here, so growing up, me and my siblings were always at Aggieland every Saturday and I fell in love with this place. He always talked about the Aggie Spirit and what it meant to him. I know I had to come experience it for myself, and it hasn’t disappointed me since. 

What organizations are you involved with? 

Currently, I’m a member of Aggie Men’s Club where last year I served as the fellowship chair. I’m also part of Maroon Coats as a member, and I got to spend some time with the Abbott Family Leadership Conference as a delegate as well. 

Why are you running for student body president, and why do you think you’re qualified for this position? 

I’m running for student body president because I genuinely love A&M so much, and in high school, I wasn’t the most talented guy. You could consider me a nerd who didn’t have a lot of friends. When I got to A&M, it really put me on my feet and put me in a place where I was able to lead and selflessly serve others, and I’m forever indebted to A&M for that. A&M is also unlike any other place I’ve ever been to. I think that A&M is a league of its own. The tradition that it has sets it apart. The Core Values that we have here makes me passionate to serve and give back to the university that I love so well. I think it’s obvious that I’m not the most qualified on-paper candidate. I don’t have any student government experience here. What I lack in experience, I gain in genuine passion and love for A&M and a willingness to serve back. 

What is your campaign platform?

I took the time to get other people’s thoughts and opinions on paper. This platform isn’t something that me and my team in a different side of campus put out and made. It’s a collection of thoughts from all different sides of campus. It’s broken down into advancing student connection, amplifying student experience, and advocating. Student wellbeing is a big one we’re going to improve. Student interconnectedness is another thing and also the student experience. Making it easier and better for students. It all facets into platforms practical and inclusive.

It’s broken down into three main categories. The first one is advancing student connection. We’re seeking to create a campus that’s interconnected and feels closer. Obviously, Texas A&M is growing, and with a growing university, there tends to be an idea or thought process that your culture can kind of spread thin and tradition can kind of spread thin. What we wanna do is maintain tradition, and the great thing is Aggies love about tradition. One way we want to do this is by making an app that students can have. The point of this would be to have events like Aggie Muster, Bonfire, Silver Taps and different events, and every student would have it and be on the same page about different events going on at Texas A&M. 

The student experience is second. There’s different things that I’ve heard like “How can we make student life better?” How can we make it easier? The big thing was course material scholarships. Something that’s huge is that there tends to be large amounts that you would have to pay for homeworks, tests and quizzes. If it gets to a certain amount, you would get the rest free because that’s a lot of money to pay for books on top of tuition. Another thing is virtual IDs and sports passes. I would be moving this forward. 

Lastly, student well-being is something I’m most passionate about. I think it breaks my heart when I think about the last two Silver Taps ceremonies that we’ve had as we’ve lost three out of the four aggies due to mental health. I think increasing awareness and resources for those battling mental health are extremely important to me in my campaign. We had this idea for a free Lyft ride system in which students would get $20 free a semester to mitigate drunk driving. Lastly, Northgate safe zones. They would act as a place or refuge where students who feel unsafe or are in a sketchy situation can go with police and get well and make it home safely. 

Campaign slogan 

Lead with Luke

Why do you think students should vote for you? 

I think students should vote for me because I bring a different view to the student body president role. I think in a lot of situations there tends to be a disconnect from student government here and actual student life. Student government can seem as off in a distance and there might be questions of “What does SGA actually do?” I was one of those students. I’m not involved in SGA, and I never have been. I do recognize that they do great things. I want to be the candidate that bridges the gap between them and do great things for the campus. I realize I’m not your typical candidate, but I think we have a really, really cool opportunity to do something new to give students a voice and a seat at the table to make sure I can be a voice for them to see things they want changed on campus being brought to the table and actually be changed. 

If you could hang out with any former student, who would it be and why? 

It would have to be Johnny Manziel. After watching his documentary I have so many questions, so it would be Johnny Manziel.

What is your Aggie story? 

I’m a first-generation Aggie. All of my extended family isn’t actually from the [United] States. I have family from India and Argentina and it’s really just my immediate family up in Dallas that I fall back on. I came to A&M a huge introvert. All through high school, I didn’t have too many friends. I didn’t get to talk to too many people. I felt like I didn’t really have the right to speak up. It was ridiculous. I felt so insecure about the way I talked, and what I had to say. Then I came to A&M discovering that this is a place where I can have a new image and Aggies are people that uphold values that are true and just and no matter where you come from, no matter what you believe in you have a right to speak up and be heard. August and September of freshman year were transformative. I turned from a kid who raised his hand in one classroom per week to someone that was always talking to people around me. 

What organizations are you involved with? 

I’m pretty involved with the Aggie Club of Engineers, the Tennis club, Class Councils serving as the Vice President of my class. I’m semi-involved with I triple E. I should go to more meetings. I’m also part of MENSA which isn’t really affiliated with A&M. 

Why are you running for student body president, and why do you think you’re qualified for this position? 

Last year, I ran for junior class president more out of a whim. It was through an email I got two weeks before the ballot came out asking if I’d be interested in running for class president. I looked at the email kind of unseriously and didn’t think much of it. I started looking into a little bit about what it means to be class president. I didn’t do my research, but I decided to toss my hat in the ring. The weekend before campaign season started I sat down for a few hours on a Friday night just by myself going through the 28th page of the election regulations document, and I started to realize I can achieve and do well for the community. Last year, with all that having happened, I didn’t know how to organize a campaign. I was just kind of thrown into it by myself. I lost by half a percent. My reasons for running this year are different than they were last year, slightly at least. That initial love was rekindled by the encouragement that was sent my way. It’s really multiplied. It’s grown exponentially. I’ve been able to impact people through Class Councils, Tennis club and [Aggie Club of Engineers]. I hope to bring my perspective and my “can do” attitude into the SBP. 

What is your campaign platform?

In addition to serving as vice president of my class, I used to serve as president of the Tennis Club and I enjoy serving as a leader in every aspect of my time at A&M. I think what makes me most special and makes me the most unique candidate of everyone running is my background. I went to an all-boys catholic school. My mom is Hindu. My dad is Buddhist. I grew up going to mass every week, going to temples, and this is passion and empathy has driven a lot of what I do. It’s not about being an authoritative leader as much as being an understanding one. I think I bring that to the table best. 

My acronym for "COMMIT" stands for communication and engagement, organization and support, maternity and campus safety, mental health and wellbeing, infrastructure and facilities and teaching and academic support. I hope to create a forum in which the Student Body President can communicate to student leaders across campus about to best represent them. Even though I have a very diverse background, I’m able to dip my toe and pool across different parts of campus that I’ve never been a part of. I want student leaders to reach out to me and be able to advocate and tell me what I should advocate to administration about.

Org matching I think is a huge issue on campus and even though I came to A&M with a “can do” attitude and meeting people, I never found my real sphere of people to hang out with. Tennis club wasn’t one that I stuck to until my sophomore year and Class Councils until my third year of college. I would like to instill a better organization matching system for students to find their Aggie homes.

For maternity and campus safety, this one is sort of a two-parter. I sat in the back of a [statistics] class and I met this really, really nice girl that told me about where she was from and we totally hit it off a few classes back and forth. Then the third or fourth time I saw her, she told me that she was an expecting mother. When she told me that, I didn’t know what to say. She’s a young, expecting Aggie mother, and she’s my age and I ddin’t know how best I could help her. I asked her “if I were to be SBP where would I start”? She said that making maternity parking spots across campus to better access to facilities and to be a little bit more mobile. Making more blue light stations and improve campus lighting to make Aggies feel a little bit more safe at night.

Mental health and wellbeing. I want to organize more campus initiatives. I want every Aggie to know we have a community that is willing to support you regardless of your mental state.

For infrastructure and facilities, this one harped on a project that came up a few years ago that’s called the Period Project. It’s been headed by a lot of senators and essentially it’s about partnering with Student Health Services to subsidize menstrual products across campus and make them free for Aggies who need them. For education, it has to do with fixing the registration system. I hope to advocate some of that discomfort to administration to see what we can do about that as well as organizing textbook drives. 

Why do you think students should vote for you? 

It’s because of who I am more than who I represent. I think I can be a friend to every Aggie. I hope to live my life that way, and that’s the primary reason why you should vote for me. 

Campus slogan

Commit to Ankit. 

If you could hang out with any former student, who would it be and why? 

He was the president of the Aggie Club of Engineers last year. He and I got to sit down once or twice together and I only got to talk to him one on one for an hour, but that conversation was phenomenal and I would love to sit down with him again.

What is your Aggie story? 

My Aggie story is a little bit untraditional. I come from out of state. My grandfather, he went to that little school up the road, but he was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. He loved Texas A&M, the Corps and the Aggie Band. He's the one who told me that I should apply here. When I came to Texas, I didn't know a single soul in the entire state, but I've made so many amazing connections here.  I cannot thank my grandfather enough for enlightening me to this opportunity.

What organizations are you involved with?

I am an entrepreneurship Fellow at both the McFerrin Center and the Malloy Engineering Innovation Program. I encourage and connect past, present and future Aggie entrepreneurs. Nothing makes me happier. I'm also an active member in Kappa Delta sorority and Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity. I have previous experience serving in class councils as a chief of staff for one of the class presidents.

Why are you running for student body president, and why do you think you’re qualified for this position?  

I'm an entrepreneur. In college, I've started three businesses. You might know me from selling margarita mix in a bag, or cheese-stuffed burgers in the streets, but I also have a patent pending medical device. I know that the skills that I've learned from hands-on business operations will allow me to make a tangible impact in our community. To get my burger stand on campus last month, it took me 78 emails and 31 phone calls. To be frank. It was a bureaucratic nightmare. But as student body president, my emails will go further and my calls will last longer. I can make a change. Let me deal with the bureaucracy on your behalf.

What is your campaign platform?

I’m passionate about making action happen. I can take your ideas and turn them into tangible ideas at our university. I’m passionate about disability services, transportation and involvement in local government. I’m promoting filling in potholes by reporting them to College Station. I’ve had two holes filled in in front of Nam Cafe, and you can have the same. Join me in the month of February reporting potholes.

My roommate is missing seven and a half organs, so I know a thing or two about disability resources. A surprisingly common issue our students face is being ghosted by their professors. I know that Texas A&M professors are good people who only want to see their students succeed. I'm advocating for a precedent to be set for crisis communication that teachers can call upon during these times. I admire the SGA and what they've done in City Hall to fight “no more than four.” I want to continue going to these meetings to press on that issue, as well as see how our Texas A&M University impacts the local community.

What is your campaign slogan?

Vote Val for transparency in student government.

Why do you think students should vote for you? 

I'm passionate about what I do, and when I am set on an idea, I make it happen. I love inspiring through action. I hope that my business experiences and even this campaign can show the student body that they can accomplish anything.

If you could hang out with any former student, who would it be and why? 

I'd have to say Dude Perfect. I really admire them as entrepreneurs, as well as Anthony Wood, CEO of Roku. 

What is your Aggie story? 

My Aggie story. So my brother came to A&M to do college and my first time at A&M was a parents’ weekend, and we actually got one of my dogs from the pet store in the mall, and then I came back up and we went to a football game. It was my first football game at A&M, and it was amazing and I fell in love with A&M and my brother always talked about the Aggie spirit,  the culture, things like that and that’s what really made me fall in love with A&M.

What organizations are you involved with? 

Last two years, I’ve been a camp counselor for Fish Camp, and I’m currently the president of Twelve, a four-year coed social service [organization] on campus.

Why are you running for student body president, and why do you think you’re qualified for this position? 

One, I love this university, and I think that there are definitely improvements that can be made. I think I’m qualified not only because I’ve led a group of people this year, and I understand how to monitor budgets and things like that. But also, I feel like I get along with people pretty well and can promote this university to other people in a great way. 

What is your campaign platform?

Right now, I’m running campaign "Carter cares," so our goal, my team’s goal, is to inspire change through selfless service and student interaction. That works on expanding opportunities for organizations, keeping our campus beautiful, reaching back to future Aggies, giving back to future Aggies and expanding our traditions and the impact of our traditions on campus. 

Expanding opportunities for organizations. So the goal is there’s a lot of costs that go into organizations such as [Memorial Student Center] Open House. For example, each organization has to pay $250 just to be in [Memorial Student Center] Open House. I think organizations are a reason why students come to our university. I think that those costs should be lowered, because students go into these organizations, pay dues, and then have to pay for [Memorial Student Center] Open House, things like that. I think those costs for students to make friends should be cut lower.

Additionally, there’s scholarships where students can go and apply so that their dues can get lowered. Right now there’s a cap on that. I don’t think that money should be a problem for students when coming to organizations. I think if you wanna make friends that should be money. Money shouldn’t be the worry there. With keeping campus beautiful, I think in re-investing in where we go to school and our education. So this will be like Big Event, but coming to campus, clean things up when the university sees that we need improvements, and I think it would just be a great way for the community to come together on campus.

Giving back to future Aggies program. Right now we have recruiters in different cities in the state of Texas, going out and talking to high school students about A&M. I think that should come from Aggie students. I think high school students should hear about the Aggie experience from active college students. This would be a great way to go and get a variety of different students around our state and encourage them to come to Texas A&M.

Lastly, expanding traditions, I think traditions is one of the greatest parts of our university and expanding money into our traditions. 

What is your campaign slogan? 

Carter cares, inspiring timeless change through selfless service and student interaction.

Why do you think students should vote for you? 

I think students should vote for me because I truly care about everybody on campus, and if people were to come up to me and ask me questions I love having conversations. That’s one of my favorite things about running this campaign is I’ve had time to spend with my friends and do things like that, planning the campaign and meeting all these people. I truly care about meeting new people and I love hearing people’s ideas about how we can make A&M better. 

If you could hang out with any former student, who would it be and why? 

My brother. He lives in D.C. right now, so if I could see him a little bit more that would be fun.