Erinn Foote and Madissen Keys: candidates for student body president, vice president

Erinn Foote, a third-year studying political science and philosophy, the assistant director of the University Affairs and a representative for the Atlantic Coast Conference Advocacy Days, is running for student body president this year. Her running mate is Madissen Keys, a third-year studying psychology and the president of Musical Empowerment, a nonprofit organization at NC State. Their platform focuses on equity, unity and safety throughout NC State, as well as Student Government (SG) reform. 

“I'm really hopeful that, when I'm elected student body president, I'll be able to reshape Student Government to be more student-focused,” Foote said. “The main reason why I want to be student body president is because I want to use that position to help refocus SG's priorities.”

Keys said she wants to make sure students’ voices are heard.

“I'm a really strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and also a big advocate for mental health rights, which I feel is something that can be greatly improved on campus,” Keys said. “My hope is that, as student body vice president, we can also reshape how those structures are affecting our campus and how we can do more to serve the student body and give them the resources that they need.” 

As part of their platform, Foote and Keys hope to provide more support for students on campus, as well as provide resources for students to take advantage of to reinforce unity, equity and safety, especially amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I really want to make sure that we pay more attention to suicide prevention awareness, especially in our wellness department, because we understand that COVID-19 is something that really affected how students operated on in classes personally, and those effects are still going to linger after we return to a sense of normalcy,” Keys said. 

Foote said she is also passionate about students’ well-being, and she wants to make sure SG addresses students’ needs and concerns while she and Keys are in office. 

“Madissen and I want to be able to provide resources and attention to people who need it and who are often overlooked,” Foote said. “That may mean providing more resources for LGBT students because they do need it because this environment wasn't created for them. Or it may mean providing more basic resources for students of color because the same thing; It was not built for them.” 

Currently, Foote’s experience in SG includes serving as the vice president of campus outreach in the UNC Association of Student Governments and assistant director of University Affairs. 

“Madissen and I are very uniquely qualified to run because we make a great team with the various leadership roles that we have together,” Foote said. “I know how to take an issue and turn it into more of an actionable item in [Student] Government.”

Keys has never been a member of SG, but she has held various leadership positions, including being an orientation leader, as well as a resident mentor and advisor.

“Even though I have never served, my hope is to further serve as a voice for students since I've been involved in so many opportunities that allow me to understand what the real issues are on our campus,” Keys said. 

Foote said she hopes their platform will provide resources for students and create commissions within SG to help voice students’ opinions. The complete Foote-Keys platform can be found on their website.

Students can vote all day Monday, March 15, and Tuesday, March 16, through the Get Involved website.