Candid(ates) Talk - Sidney Loko

I just happened to be in the University Center Couch Lounge when prospective V.P. University Affairs Sidney Loko dropped by. You can catch his platform and ideas at his website, http://www.votesidneyloko.webs.com/ This is what happened...
SFUO BLOG: We`ll slide this over. (Waooo...oooo...). Awesome

Sidney Loko: Awesome, yes.

SFUO BLOG: So, how, how do you feel about the... uh.

Sidney Loko: Elections?

SFUO BLOG: The elections so far?

Sidney Loko: Well, I think..I thought it was going to be a bit easier, but it`s actually hard to bring out your case..

(beeping...)

SFUO BLOG: We were just interrupted by a Skype call.

Sidney Loko: Yes, so yah. So it`s pretty hard to be active and out and about and making sure that all the campaigning material is ready and that your team is ready. So I thought it would be a bit easier, and the time will fly so fast. But there`s just so much time and effort put into this campaign that every single day feels like a week. So this two week campaign is going to feel like a whole month of campaigning. So I respect all the, all the realy politicans that have to do that for a living. But, of course, I think that its something that should be done. Because, in the past, no international student got the chance to bring his voice, and talk about the real issues that they have to face. And, yah. I`m happy I`m in the campaign, I`m happy I got the chance to bring forth new issues. Even if I don`t win, at least I know that new issues will come on the table for the next Fed office.

SFUO BLOG: What have you done to keep your energy up during this election?

Sidney Loko: What have I done? I guess I`m thinking about the end goal. Right? I think that certain things are unfair on campus, and I think the Federation should be more open to students, and I am hoping to be able to, you know, change that. So I think that is the main thing that is motivating me: to be able to bring change, and like, have a more dynamic federation. Student Federation.Because what`s the point of having a university that doesn`t have any school spirit, and doesn`t try to, and is not recognized, elsewhere. Because, the excellence of the university. Students bring the excellence of the university. It`s not necessarily what happens in the classrooms, it`s also what happens outside of the classrooms that counts. Why do you think that, I think it`s Oxford... No, not Oxford, but... Yale. Yale University is always number one, because they have so much diversity. They always get people from all over the country. All over the world, I`m sorry. To think together, to bring new ideas forth. So I think that one of the forces of a university should be the fact that you can meet so many diverse people and think about a subject, one problem, one issue, in three, or four, or five, maybe thirty-three different ways. So, thinking of that end goal is keeping my energy up.

SFUO BLOG: Awesome. And, you are talking about steps to encourage schools spirit. What kind of steps would you personally take on, on this campus, to do that?

Sidney Loko: Well, being V.P. U.A, V.P. University Affairs you get to actually do campaigns. So one of the campaigns that I think that can be done is trying to, trying to up school spirit. For example, they did a campaign for people presenting themselves for the elections. And look at what happened? The biggest election turnout ever! So I think that, if we have a joint effort from everyone in the Fed office, trying to up school spirit, trying to show students all of the services that do exist. Because the services on campus are great services. Everyone can find himself, or herself, in one of the services. So, finding... I don`t know exactly how the campaign is going to be turned out, but having a major campaign on campus, with promoting THE services, and really presenting THE Federation as a, a union for students and by students. I think that we can really up school spirit by doing this.

SFUO BLOG: Thank you very much.

Sidney Loko: Thank you, thank you very much.

SFUO BLOG: It`s great. Awesome.

Sidney Loko: Thanks.