(Photo provided by the Johnston-Lincoln campaign)
Johnston-Lincoln are one of four tickets running for Student Government President and Vice President
BY SAM DOUGLAS, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
[Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
Q: Can you introduce yourself? What year are you in, and what’s your major?
Zach Lincoln (ZL): This is my second year here at Mason, I am a junior, and major in public administration.
Why are you qualified to be the student body vice president?
ZL: I will be completely honest, this all happened in the course of maybe two or three weeks. A month ago, I did not think I would be running for this. My running mate and I started seeing the problems that Student Government is having. We feel like we could be representing the people better, both in terms of reaching out to people and making sure everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from or what you believe in, is welcome at the table. I do not think that is the case with Student Government right now. That is ultimately why we decided to run and also hopefully we can use our platforms if we win to focus on the things that impact students day to day lives, like dining or housing, or in my case today, class registration.
Why should Mason students vote for you?
ZL: Right now, Student Government is in the midst of restructuring themselves. I am not sure that the majority of our student body knows what our student government does in the first place and that they restructured. This whole process was in the course of the semester, and in my opinion was done behind closed doors without the input of the students that they seek to represent, so most of them do not know.
The advantage with that is this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the way student government operates, change our culture, make sure we are actually doing the things we say we are. If I am elected, I would love to have a student government that means what we say and says what we mean.
What sets you apart from the other three candidates?
ZL: I think it is our life experience that sets us apart mostly. Evelyn [Johnston] and I are relatively new to the Senate as opposed to two of the other candidates running. Those two were involved in the restructure process, so they probably know more about that than we do. We know how Student Government works, how it operates, we have that experience, but we are not entrenched. We are new enough to be the new voice of leadership, the new generation that I think Mason needs.
If elected student body president, what is the first thing you are going to do in office?
ZL: I would say the first thing we would do is start reaching out to people. There are a lot of people that I have talked to that have been left behind by Student Government, not just this year, but in years past. This is, again, a generational issue. Making those connections again would be the first thing I would do, because I want everyone at the table, no matter where you are at Mason. If you want to be part of this, if you want a seat at the table, we will give it to you.
If you are elected, how do you see the school being different at this time next year?
ZL: I would love to say a lot of our facilities issues that we are campaigning on would be different, but the burden of that is up to the university. But Student Government can use our position and platform to advocate for that change.
I can not say for sure what the school would look like in a year’s time. A lot could change, like you have seen federally. The way I would measure my success at the end of this is if people are happier here, if this is a place people want to be and they find community.
There is a lot of pressure on Mason right now, both from the Board of Visitors as well as the federal government. How do you plan to address that as vice president?
ZL: The federal administration is threatening, or in some cases for other colleges, have completely pulled federal funding. We need that federal funding to make sure students here get the same opportunities as they did in January, just to make sure we survive as an institution. But at the same time, we should not compromise where we stand, on making sure that we are indeed all together different. We welcome all students, no matter who you are or you have been in life, or what you believe.
Anything else students should know about you, your campaign, or your plans?
ZL: I would love to be more transparent with the students. Maybe look at doing weekly town halls or newsletters and not just have it in Merten Hall or somewhere, but broadcast it on social media. So any Mason student, whether they are here or somewhere else abroad, can see what their student government is doing, and how they are fighting for them.
What is one fun fact about you that students should know before they cast your vote?
ZL: I played violin for ten years now. This fall, I was in the Mason Concert Orchestra. I left because I got an internship with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center this semester. It has been a dream of mine.
