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Claude Johnson brings United Nations experience to SGA election

The EVERY COOG party wants to connect the University of Houston with the Third Ward. Johnson brings leadership from various on-campus organizations and as a resident assistant at Cullen Oaks. | Photo Courtesy of Claude Johnson

Student Government Association presidential hopeful Claude Johnson, who is with the EVERY COOG party, spent last semester working on the political world stage.

Alongside serving as the vice president for the Phi Beta Sigma, Johnson, a political science junior, has interned at the United Nations in New York, an experience that he said taught him about making bills and drafting legislation as well as the day-to-day side of politics.

“I was dealing with time-sensitive matters on my own that gave me experience that I think I can bring back to the student government and be of use to the student body,” Johnson said.

One of his main focuses in this campaign is sustainability, especially student sustainability when it comes to issues like mental health.

“We believe student health should be at the forefront of the University by revitalizing the CAPS system and making it more accessible,” Johnson said. “Hopefully lowering the price for low-income students so they don’t have to put their mental health as a choice.”

Another key component of Johnson’s platform is inclusiveness and representation. Though the University of Houston is one of the most diverse campuses in the United States, and in one of the country’s most diverse cities, Johnson said he doesn’t think that has translated to the highest levels of the school.

“Our plan is to create an intersectionality council with people from different demographics so we could truly have an accurate representation of what is needed at this University,” Johnson said.

The third and final main component of his campaign is accountability and increasing student access to and interaction with SGA, Johnson said. While he said the current administration has done good work in general, he wants to go further, especially with reaching students.

“We want to bridge that gap between student government and the students,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he answers any questions that come to his inbox on Twitter and has been tweeting his location on campus almost daily so students can come ask him about EVERY COOG, the election and how they can get involved in the campaign.

“We want to be a representation of all students, and we can’t do that without student support,” Johnson said. 

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