A S.O.U.L Council campaign graphic promotes the council’s platform and “Sinners”inspired theme. (Graphic courtesy of S.O.U.L. Council campaign) Freshman senator-at-large candidate, CJ Boxhill, uses an airport-inspired visual in campaign content. (Graphic courtesy of CJ Boxhill campaign) Miss Freshman candidate, Hadiyah O’garro, incorporates Minecraft-inspired visuals in campaign content. (Graphic courtesy of Hadiyah O’garro campaign)
At Howard University, campaign season has moved beyond speeches and handshakes. From film references to video game recreations, candidates try to reach fellow Bison with campaigns based on pop culture references and social media to connect with voters.
Candidates are using Instagram posts, videos and campaign graphics paired with in-person activities to introduce themselves to voters and communicate their platforms. These approaches give students multiple ways to encounter candidates during the election, as for student voters, diverse campaign visibility is a large part of evaluating a candidate.
Pryce Wells, a freshman psychology major from Denver, said he has not watched candidate speak-outs or crossfires and knows other students who have not either. Instead, he said his impressions of candidates come from their presence during the campaign and what he sees from them online.
“The whole campaign season really comes down to popularity — what you did for the students during campaigning and ever so slightly what you stand for,” Wells said.
In the School of Business, the ’ S.O.U.L’ Council, references Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.” It connects the film’s focus on protecting Black culture to its own message about protecting the “soul” of the School of Business.
S.O.U.L stands for speak, opportunity, unity and legacy — four areas that organize the campaign’s platform.
Yaa Boateng, a freshman honors international business major from New Orleans and vice president candidate of the S.O.U.L Council, said the campaign’s ideas are rooted in the group’s larger emphasis on connection and student engagement, and that the platform extends beyond the School of Business.
“We always like to hear feedback from whoever stops by at our tables, and we always say everyone can have a bit of ‘S.O.U.L,’” Boateng said.
She said the campaign’s process begins with collaboration, then moves into planning and execution, including the graphics, Instagram stories and finally to posts explaining its proposals. The campaign also uses its social media presence to encourage students to ask questions or raise concerns. However, even with social media engagement, interactions do not guarantee votes.
“I’m not sure if they would correlate into direct votes,” Boateng said. “Instead, I would say that social media engagement relates to impact.”
Freshman senator-at-large candidate CJ Boxhill takes a different approach.
Boxhill, a political science major from Atlanta, uses references to shows including “Scandal” and “Suits” in his campaign content.
“When it comes to me, it’s just things I like,” Boxhill said.
Boxhill said that he considers the background of references before using them, drawing on his experience in student leadership and political journalism. Rather than building his campaign around one cultural reference, he uses familiar media as another way to present himself to students.
While balancing classes and campaign responsibilities, Boxhill also took his campaign directly to The Yard, setting up a station where students could throw water at him while hearing about his campaign.
His campaign also has question boxes on social media so students can ask questions and provide feedback.
For some students, campaign events and social media are only part of how they form impressions of candidates.
For Hadiyah O’garro, a freshman political science major from Philadelphia, the cultural reference is the platform itself.
Her platform, “Building Our Village,” uses the video game Minecraft as a metaphor for the freshman class. Gary wants freshmen to similarly rely on one another to find opportunities and navigate Howard.
“In the game, we always had resources from the village,” O’garro said. “And I really want our freshman class to know that we really have a village with each other.”
O’garro, who is running for Miss Freshman, said that the idea came partly from what she observed during her first two months at Howard. She noticed freshmen missing programs and opportunities because they did not know they existed.
Campaign messaging is only one part of her strategy. O’garro also uses her social media to give students a look at her interactions with fellow freshmen and her experiences around campus.
“Usually what I post is more like a day in the life, or pictures of me talking to people or them eating candy.”
Even with the pictures, O’garro said much of her outreach happens away from the screen by approaching freshmen and asking how they are adjusting to Howard.
For voters, social media is one part of the campaign experience, and the election’s visual side is difficult to overlook.
Anaya Harris, a first-year economics major from San Antonio, Texas, and O’garro’s campaign manager, is also voting in the freshmen election. She said she has seen numerous campaign graphics and reposts while researching candidates. What makes candidates stand out to her is not necessarily the most elaborate graphics.
“I feel like everyone’s stepped it up this year. I was pretty surprised by how many people had these amazing graphics, it’s like [everyone’s] on the same level on the playing field,” Harris said.
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