After a competitive election season, sociology and Latin American studies junior Deon Wilson and political science junior Tyler Sanchez have been elected as the next SGA president and vice president for the 2021-2022 school year.

The election results were announced in a live stream April 1, where the Wilson/Sanchez ticket won 60.75% of the vote against the Robert Morrison and Angeles Vasquez ticket. A third ticket with presidential candidate Christian Martinez and vice presidential candidate Aidan Gibson was disqualified from the race for violating campaign rules.

Wilson and Sanchez ran on a three-issue platform of prioritizing student accessibility, student engagement and SGA transparency, plans they said they cannot wait to execute in office.

“It feels surreal. Hearing my name called didn’t feel real and I keep having friends say ‘No, it’s real.’ But we’re ready to do the work,” Wilson said.

The two said they are confident that their comprehensive plan will equip students with sustainable, useful resources. Their initiatives are largely focused on longevity and ensuring that Loyola has a successful future.

According to Wilson, she and Sanchez want to form an administrative action plan, encourage the hiring of more people of color faculty and staff and revive previous Loyola programs. Wilson plans on reviving the Ignition Program, which allowed students to get free textbooks by working with the Office of Institutional Advancement.

The duo is preparing to bring Loyola through the end of the pandemic and is already laying the ground for a COVID response team, Sanchez said.

“The pandemic has presented some long-lasting challenges, but we’re going to put together a robust and dynamic team of student advocates,” Sanchez said.

They plan to form a temporary committee through the end of the COVID-19 pandemic that prioritizes student voices, focused on the transition out of the pandemic and back into full capacity.

Wilson said that she wants to bring Loyola back to the community-centered environment it was in before the pandemic. She plans on using her SGA background as director of the University Programming Board to revive old events and engage with the community.

Even at full capacity, Sanchez said he wants to ensure that students have adequate online options for classes and counseling for high-risk populations and students with disabilities.

Sanchez also plans to increase accessibility all across campus by working with the Office of Accessible Education in advocacy, increasing access to gender-neutral bathrooms in all buildings and ensuring that all bathrooms have access to menstrual products.

“We want to make sure that students have accessible needs met in all spaces on campus and all resources are known,” Sanchez said.

The team also plans to increase SGA transparency during their administration.

“We’re putting ourselves in a listening position so that we can ensure we respond accurately,” Wilson said.

To engage more with the students, the pair plans to make a SGA website to house a list of SGA members, host town halls and post any updates from the branches.

Wilson said she wants students who aren’t involved in SGA to know where their money is going and what the administration is doing for them.

“At the end of the day,” Wilson said, “SGA is funded by the students.”

In order to promote engagement among the student body, Sanchez and Wilson are working on SGA senate applications to fill the remaining empty seats. Sanchez said that they want active and engaged students to represent the university.

The duo is prepared to bring Loyola out of the pandemic and rebuild and improve the community it once was. After years of service within SGA and to the community, Sanchez and Wilson said they are excited to work for the students.

“I want to plant seeds in different places in the community and help them flourish,” Wilson said.