update post election results @ 6PM 9/29/21

hey team! unfortunately, the election didn't go as planned and we ended up losing, pretty badly at that :( if you want to read about my takeaways from the election, click here. if you want to check out what my platform would've been if i had in fact secured the bag, this website is yours to scroll through. much love, and we shall get em next time 💪

String welcome_message = "Hello squad! I am so excited to be running as your **Representative of Information and Technology** on
														Barnard's Student Government Association (SGA). This is my homebase for all things ~platform~ and I
														would greatly appreciate you checking it out and telling your cute swaggy friends to ***VOTE*** for me!";

String how_can_i_vote = "**Check your email**! You should have received an email from the **SGA Elections Commission** with the subject line
											 '**Vote in SGA's Fall 2021 Election!**' Click where it says '**Vote Here**' to fill out the qualtrics form. Be an #active
												#citizen in your Barnard community and read about the amazing candidates running for other positions. Make sure to
												click **Izzy Lapidus** when you get to **Representative of Information and Technology**. GO TEAM! 🎉👩‍💻";

String voting_is_open_until = "Wednesday, September 29th at 12:00 P.M EDT";

Boolean i_would_very_much_appreciate_your_vote = true;

<aside> ⭐ click on any of the links below these images to watch my 2-minute speech from the Candidate's Forum :) Scroll to 52 minutes in to hear me passionately go off about being your next Representative of Information and Technology 😎

</aside>

My vision as your Representative is two-fold.

<aside> 🤔 I'LL BE YOUR TECH ISSUES PROBLEM SOLVER

I want you all to view me as THE GIRL to go to for anything tech issues related on campus.
Your Barnard portal isn't working properly? Hit me up.
You have a question about BCIT or Student Computing Services? DM me on Instagram (!!!!)
There's an outlet in Milstein that still hasn't been fixed and it's been over a week? Bestie tell me and I will get someone on that ASAP!
I'll make all your tech problems go away like magic✨ ** </aside>

real life text from one of my swaggy friends doing a swaggy thing called 💯VOTING FOR IZZY LAPIDUS FOR REPRESENTATIVE OF INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY💯 YASSS

<aside> 📣

I'LL BE YOUR WOMEN/NON-BINARY PEOPLE IN STEM ADVOCATE

Beyond the physical tech stuff, I am committed to helping Barnard establish itself as THE PLACE TO GO as a WOMAN or NON-BINARY STUDENT in STEM.
I want everyone excited about all things STEM at Barnard, whether they view themselves as "STEM People" or not.
I'm already in conversation with:
- Professor Wright, the Director of Barnard's Computer Science program
- Saima, the Associate Director of Barnard's Computational Science Center
- The team behind Barnard's very exciting Year of Science
- And President Beilock herself! Last Fall, I hopped on a Zoom call and straight up asked her what her vision is for the future of Computer Science at Barnard
I'm passionate about having these conversations and will continue to have them as your Representative💌 </aside>

Platform Highlights

<aside> 🤩 HEAR YE, HEAR YE, IT'S THE YEAR OF SCIENCE AT BARNARD

If any of ya'll have talked to me about Barnard Year of Science (BYOS), you'll know how excited I am. In case you haven't heard, this year we are celebrating all things related to STEM at Barnard.
There's tons of amazing programming coming up this year including the 2021 Barnard Distinguished Lecture in Computer Science by Dr. Ayanna Howard. In her talk, Dr. Howard will speak on the implications of recent advances in robotics and AI and explain the importance of diversity and inclusion throughout all stages of the design process in order to create robots that are accessible to everyone. She will be speaking in Milstein LL002 on September 29th at 6PM. For more information on Dr. Ayanna Howard's talk, click here.
Did you know that Barnard's newest programs, Neuroscience and Behavior and Computer Science, are among Barnard's top 10 most popular majors? Since 2013, Barnard has gone from having just 4 CS majors to currently over 100 (!) declared CS majors. The Year of Science website shares incredible videos, stories, graphics, and statistics about STEM on campus and I seriously implore you all to check it out (I fully spent an hour stalking it when it launched).
Throughout my time serving as your Representative, I'll do everything I can to amplify everything very STEM very swag on Barnard's campus and keep you all posted on ways of getting involved.

<aside> ❓ Have a question about Barnard Year of Science or something you wish to be amplified? Let me know and I'll add it to my list of Barnard Baddie Wants + Needs!

</aside>

<aside> 😭 BARNARD TECH IS NOT ALWAYS IT CHIEF

Ya'll know the vibes. I actually cannot express how many times I've been pissed off entering my UNI and password for what feels like 5 million times just to check my gBear email. Some of these issues are quite honestly well beyond my control and for ~security purposes~ (yes, I know, Duo is annoying, but it keeps our data #secure!), but for more minor issues I am here to be of assistance in any way I can.
Sometimes it feels like there's no one there to solve our tech issues even when Barnard already has tons of amazing resources, such as BCIT and Student Computing Services. In order to better assist you all, I will become an expert in these resources, and all other tech-issues related resources on campus, so that I can answer/direct your questions to the places they're best meant to go. Consider me your tech issues dictionary.

<aside> ❓ Dealing with tech issues that aren't getting the attention they deserve? Let me know and I'll add it to my list of Barnard Baddie Wants + Needs!

</aside>

<aside> 🤓 SO, WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH COMPUTER SCIENCE AT BARNARD?

People often seem to have questions about Barnard's Computer Science program. I'm a computer science major myself and am working on a research project in partnership with Barnard's Center for Engaged Pedagogy entitled "Building Up Barnard CS." This project asks the question, "What does an inclusive Computer Science program look like to Barnard students?" and I aim to collect as much data as possible in order to make holistic suggestions to the stakeholders in the future of Barnard's Computer Science program that meet the wants and needs of students.
As part of this project, I've learned a lot about how Computer Science works at this school and am more than eager to get this information as widely distributed as possible.
I've noticed that in the past information about Computer Science classes, and whether or not they fulfill specific requirements, has been unclear, and I'd like to use this position to ensure that all information relating to Computer Science classes on campus is accurate and easily accessible. (Spoiler alert, most, if not all, computer science classes offered at Barnard fulfill the "Thinking Technologically and Digitally" requirement 😃).
As your elected Representative, I'll have a larger reach, enabling me to connect with students and learn about their experiences in order to inform the future of Computer Science on our campus.

<aside> ❓ Confused about anything CS program related at Barnard or have an idea about what the future of Barnard Computer Science looks like? Let me know and I'll add it to my list of Barnard Baddie Wants + Needs!

</aside>

<aside> 🙄 THESE WIFI ISSUES BRO COME ON I HAVE WORK TO DO

Wifi on campus is very much a problem. Barnard Guest? Barnard Secure? Your uni doesn't work but you're positive you're putting it in correctly? I'll look into these issues, find the right people to talk to about them, and do everything I can to make campus wifi function in the way that Barnard students deserve.
Places I've noticed wifi being an issue on campus:
- 4th floor terrace of Milstein
- Futter Field
- Outside the Diana Center

<aside> ❓ Other concerns regarding wifi on campus or locations where wifi just does not connect? Let me know and I'll add it to my list of Barnard Baddie Wants + Needs!

</aside>

<aside> 🥰 DID YOU KNOW WE HAD A COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE CENTER?

One of the reasons I chose Barnard is for its interdisciplinary centers. One of my favorite centers at Barnard is our state-of-the-art Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC) which functions as Barnard's home for tech exploration.
The CSC hosts both educational and social events open the Barnard community where students can learn innovative ways of working with data, from interactive visualizations to machine learning.
As part of the Barnard Year of Science, the CSC will be kicking off its new Diversity in Computing Speaker Series, which will feature talks from scholars and researchers in computational fields who explore what diversity, equity, and inclusion look like in STEM. This series centers around re-imagining STEM disciplines from the inside out, and each speaker will share how they believe computing disciplines should be transformed in order to be more equitable. The first speaker is Dr. Theodore Kim, an Associate Professor in Computer Science at Yale University who previously worked as the Senior Research Scientist at Pixar! His algorithms have appeared in over 20 films, with screen credits in Cars 3, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, and he has even contributed to the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter. Dr. Kim is giving very very STEM very swag energy.
As your Representative, I will make attending INSANE events, such as Dr. Theodore Kim's talk, as accessible to students as possible and ensure that they always know what's going on at the Computational Science Center! His talk will be delivered via Zoom on September 27th at 6PM. For more information on Dr. Theodore Kim's talk, click here.

<aside> ❓ Have a question about an upcoming event at the CSC or an idea for a future one? Let me know and I'll add it to my list of Barnard Baddie Wants + Needs!

</aside>

<aside> 🫂 BABES, WE ARE HERE TO SHARE THE THRONE!

If it isn't already apparent, STEM, and particularly inclusivity in tech, is basically my whole thing. I'm majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Education because I believe that in order to re-imagine the perception of STEM, we need to build inclusive and equitable STEM classrooms and communities.
Outside of all the STEM vibes I'm involved with on campus, I do a lot of work in the Girls in STEM world outside of Barnard. In the past year and a half, I've had 60+ speaking engagements talking about my experiences growing up as a girl in STEM (fun fact: I actually spent my entire childhood wanting to be an astrophysicist one day, and then I participated in Kode With Klossy the summer before freshman year and switched up the vibes to Computer Science!). I've been active in this space for a while now, and have spoken to countless young people about their experiences in STEM.
The way I work is simple. Everything I do is for something much larger than me. Half of the reason I'm majoring in Computer Science is to show other girls, non-binary people, and anyone who wouldn't necessarily see a path for themselves in STEM that if I can major in Computer Science, they can too. The other half is just to flex tbh. For real though, when I was sitting at my desk last year sobbing at 3AM over Project 3 in COMS 1004 Intro to Java (I'm so sorry to anyone that has lived through that experience), I would genuinely think to myself, "If I can get through this, it will show someone else that they can too). And they can! You can! If you're reading this questioning if you can major in CS, I PROMISE that you can do it bestie. It may take some tears, but we will get through it together.
I'm just a little sophomore, but I've done a lot to make it known on campus that I'm Miss Queen of STEM. Because of this, I've made a lot of connections that have brought me some very cool opportunities (as I type this, I'm filming a "Day in the Life" video for Barnard's TikTok account and website!). As your Representative, I will ensure that these opportunities are provided to as many students as possible. There are way too many STEM queens on campus to count, and I'm committed to getting all of ya'll interested up on Barnard's socials!!!!! Amplification is empowerment. You're all doing incredible stuff, and the world needs to know!

<aside> 🤝 Soooooooo voting for me is sounding pretty good, right? I'm so glad we agree. If you haven't yet, please go open up that email sent to your gBear account with the subject line 'Vote in SGA's Fall 2021 Election!' to elect me, Izzy Lapidus, as your Representative for Information and Technology. If you want to help me spread the word about my campaign, please send this site to a friend of yours! Thank you all for reading, and I'm looking forward to this election season! :)

</aside>

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