With just a week before the voting period begins for Syracuse University Student Association elections, the field of presidential candidates is continuing to grow.

Jesse Nichols, a junior international relations and public relations dual major, officially launched his campaign over the weekend, becoming one of four confirmed candidates to run a campaign for president — three of which are write-in candidates.

He already holds a leadership role within Hendricks Chapel, and said he sees this campaign as a way to broaden that role.

“Up until this point I didn’t see SA as a possibility because I used to think of it as something separate from what I was already doing,” Nichols said. “It was kind of a realization of sorts that leadership can be expanded upon.”

Nichols, a former staff writer for The Daily Orange, is running with vice presidential candidate Moke Hein, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. The pair is campaigning under the slogan of “Om for SU,” which refers to the sacred Buddhist symbol of “om” that refers to interconnectedness. The four main principles of om are equality, togetherness, compassion and dedication, which guide Nichols’ platform, he said.

Nichols is involved in the Student Buddhist Association in Hendricks Chapel and is a member of the Contemplative Collaborative Committee. He is also a resident adviser for the LGBTQ learning community on campus. All of these roles play into what he hopes to accomplish if elected, he said.

“At its core, our intention is to make the university a better place,” Nichols said. “We’re not really looking to restore pride, but more looking to restore happiness.”

In order to accomplish that, Nichols said he and Hein have a few main projects they’d like to work on. The first is the creation of a holistic stress reduction center, which he said has already been discussed by the Contemplative Collaborative Committee.

Another aspect of improving wellness on campus is to bring more organic food to the dining halls, Nichols said. A third point he’d like to accomplish is to broaden the Fast Forward working groups to include more members of marginalized identities on campus, as well as adding a wellness workgroup.

Before he implements his campaign goals, Nichols must first overcome the challenge of being a write-in candidate. Only one candidate, Aysha Seedat, will actually have her name listed on the ballot. However, Nichols said he doesn’t “think it’s a huge hindrance” to his campaign that he’ll be a write-in.

“We just need to emphasize it in every step of the way; we have to literally say, ‘Write in Jesse and Moke on the ballot when you vote,’” he said.

He added that since both he and Hein have unique first names, he believes SA will take intent into account instead of disqualifying votes based on minor misspellings.

Published on April 6, 2015 at 5:05 pm

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27