He considers himself to be “not the most popular guy.” When his friend asked him about running for Student Association president, Abhishek “Raja” Lagadapati saw it as a joke.
That was until he received a word from God during winter break.
“I was like ‘Lord, I don’t want to do this for a position of power,’” Lagadapati said. “And He was like, ‘I want you to be My delivery boy.’ I’m not the most talented speaker, but He said,‘ If you give it to Me, I’m going to use it.’”
Lagadapati and this year’s other candidate for SA president, Wellison “Gabriel” Maia, will have a public forum at 7 p.m. Friday in the Fenimore Room in the Hammer Center along with their vice-presidential running mates.
“It’s more of a forum, not really a debate,” said Hayden Jones, Lagadapati’s running mate and a business management junior at Oral Roberts University. “It’s more of a ‘who are we,’ ‘what do we stand for’ introductions.”
Lagadapati had picked two other people as potential vice presidents before Jones became his running mate after the others decided not run.
Two days before the deadline to register as candidates, Lagadapati prayed for God to give him somebody to run with.
“The first name that came to my mind was Hayden Jones,” Lagadapati said. “He said, ‘I’ll be sure to get Raja president and Hayden vice president t-shirts because I’m in.’ That’s where we all started.”
More events on campus
Lagadapati and Jones want to improve campus culture by encouraging the Student Association to organize more events.
“A big thing we loved was the culture when we were freshmen,” Jones said. “It was totally different than today. Right now, it feels kind of corporate, kind of clean. Like people are scared to fail.”
Their ideas include dodgeball tournaments, battle of the bands and movie nights.
“Instead of having students join a specific group or be a part of a certain clique, we want to have events for everyone,” Jones said. “Something that brings everyone together that you don’t have to have a certain talent or skill, but you can just sit there and enjoy everyone’s company.”
Small groups on campus
As a goal for campus ministry, Lagadapati wants to have more “structured discipleship” through small groups.
“It’s not a one-time deal kind of thing,” said Lagadapati, a computer science junior.“ Through small groups, students can have their accountability partners that can push them towards the Lord.”
Maintenance
When it comes to campus maintenance, Lagadapati wants better shower curtains and quicker repairs.
“The students are paying for it, and we need to support them,” Lagadapati said. “I’m going to be a voice for them, whether small or big.”
All enrolled ORU students can cast votes online through Vision on April 1. The winners will take office at the start of the fall semester.
