The “All in 4 Mizzou” slate announced their candidacy on Monday, Feb. 19. Candidates Clay Van Eaton and Emily Brockmann, both Juniors, are running for the Missouri Students Association president and vice president positions. 

“We want the students to know that we’re all in for connectivity, all in for unity, all in for inclusivity and all in for Mizzou,” Van Eaton said regarding the slate’s campaign slogan.

“Our administration is not about Clay and Emily, or what we want, or our priorities,” Brockmann said. “It’s about the student’s priorities, and I definitely feel like the biggest part about that is just listening.” 

Brockmann and Van Eaton have known each other since freshman year. They met as members of the Cornell Leadership Program at MU, which helps students develop business leadership skills.

Van Eaton is an accounting major, who has worked as a MSA student committee representative for the Committee for Persons with Disabilities as well as the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, in addition to being involved with Greek Week. The summer after his freshman year he worked as an intern at the U.S. Capitol for Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

“I was able to see how government works and understand the importance of a constituency,” Van Eaton said while recalling his summer internship. “When I got back to Mizzou, I was inspired to join student government in any way possible.”

If elected, Van Eaton said he hopes his ability to empathize with others will help him serve the student body. He attributes some of this empathy to being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at a young age.

“I’ve dealt with that throughout my entire life,” Van Eaton said. “It’s something that has been a battle every day, but I think the way it’s wired my brain has been helpful in the long run.”  

Van Eaton said he feels like his experience has made him more of a perfectionist and given him a chance to work through adversity and put himself in other people’s shoes.

“One of the things that I care about most in my life is connecting with people at a deep level and I think that [Tourette syndrome] really helped me do that,” Van Eaton said.

When Van Eaton reached out to Brockmann to join his ballot, she was quick to agree but said she didn’t have the same familiarity with MSA that Van Eaton gained from his experience as a member of student government, which she said helps her better empathize with students not involved with but still impacted by MSA.

“I feel like the biggest thing with [MSA] is that a lot of people don’t really know what’s going on with it, and I think it needs to be amplified, and I think that there’s so many improvements we can make,” Brockmann said. 

Brockmann is a junior business major at MU from Lake St. Louis, Mo. Brockmann previously has been on the Homecoming Steering Committee, specifically organizing the Tiger Food Fight. She has also helped hold a donation drive for Rainbow House, which is a children’s emergency shelter and advocacy center in Columbia. Brockmann currently serves as the president of the Mizzou Student Foundation, which is a student organization that connects university donors to MU students.

“I feel like I’ve grown so much since coming here and it’s just been the best experience and I can’t wait to continue that and give other students at Mizzou that experience,” Brockmann said.

Van Eaton said he is hoping to use the presidency to share his love of the school with others. He was born and raised in Columbia, where his mother taught in the journalism school for 18 years.  Van Eation then moved to Dallas, before returning to Columbia to attend the university.

“My parents had me convinced that homecoming was an actual holiday,” Van Eaton said. “It was like Christmas morning for me as a kid, and it still is, honestly.”

Spreading a love for the university starts early, according to Van Eaton and Brockmann. Next year MU is expecting the largest incoming class in university history, Van Eaton said. 

“I see [the large incoming class] as an opportunity to get people plugged in early and really invest in those students at a young point in their Mizzou careers,” Van Eaton said.

All in 4 Mizzou is giving updates and campaigning via their Instagram, @allin4mizzou.

Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com 

Edited by Sam Barrett | sbarrett@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com 

Edited by Sophia Rentschler | sophiarentschler@themaneater.com