What might be perceived as a weakness is actually Rachel Lopez’s greatest strength.

The Weinberg junior has logged more hours and effected more changes as a three-year Associated Student Government senator than some have done from the bully pulpit of an executive board position.

Lopez has worked tirelessly to diversify Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, globalizing a Western Civilization distribution requirement and lobbying to create a Latino studies program.

But the scope of her work has caused critics to label her a Latino and women’s rights candidate.

Lopez is fighting those stereotypes in her bid to become ASG president.

“I’m not the minority candidate,” she said. “Just because I’ve worked for minority studies doesn’t mean that I’m a candidate only for minorities.”

Laura LaBauve-Maher, coordinator of Hispanic and Latino student services, said Lopez will work passionately for all students.

“Rachel is very proud of her ethnicity, but Rachel’s not running as a Latino candidate,” LaBauve-Maher said. “Rachel’s running as someone who can genuinely support and advocate for all NU students. She can be proud of who she is but be a voice for all students regardless of her color or ethnicity. I don’t think I can say that about a lot of students.”

Lopez wants to use the presidency for campuswide initiatives such as lobbying administrators to announce tuition increases four years in advance.

“It’s not to say they shouldn’t allow raises, but students should be able to plan for these increases,” she said.

She also wants to change the way ASG works.

“I think ASG needs to be more of an initiatory body,” Lopez said. “Right now it seems to be more of a reactionary body.”

She’s going to pass along her ample experience with administrators, urging the Senate to pursue one main project every year, such as improved campus lighting or better accessibility for the handicapped to campus buildings .

She wants senators, especially off-campus senators, to be more accountable to their constituencies.

Lopez also wants to keep in touch with other points of view. If elected, she plans to create a committee composed of seven student group leaders to advise the president and possibly sit in on meetings between ASG and administrators.

“You can get really entrenched in ASG and the administration,” Lopez said. “That would be a balancing power. I’m hoping it would be a diverse enough committee that the president would be informed on all things.”

But Lopez wouldn’t need anyone’s help in dealing with the administration, LaBauve-Maher said.

“Rachel conveys her ideas and the passion students have in a way that isn’t confrontational, but she’s strong in her point of view,” she said. “I think that’s a very effective way in working with student affairs.”

And although Weinberg hasn’t yet announced plans for a Latino studies program, Lopez helped bring a Mellon scholar, Rick Lopez, to Northwestern to teach Introduction to Latino Studies during Winter Quarter.

Rachel Lopez took that course and was pleased to see many non-Latino faces in the class.

Ebo Dawson-Andoh, ASG’s outgoing academic vice president, said Lopez’s commitment to Latino studies extends to every cause she’s involved herself in at NU.

“Everyone who’s worked on it in the past gave up after a while or graduated,” said Dawson-Andoh, a Weinberg junior. “The fact she stuck with it shows persistence and dedication, which is a pretty valuable asset in everything in life.”

Rachel Lopez

School: Weinberg junior

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Fla.

Leadership experience:

_Ѣ Three-year ASG senator and Academic Committee member

_Ѣ Executive board member of Alianza

_Ѣ Executive board member of Model UN

Platform goals:

_Ѣ Start a Student Advisory Committee composed of seven non-ASG student leaders that could advise ASG and sit in on meetings with administrators

_Ѣ Start the NU Student Leadership Conference for presidents of student groups, Greek houses and dorms to discuss funding, programming and coordinated student action

_Ѣ Give MLK Day more of a community base by bringing middle and high school students to attend classes and events