Senior communication studies major Cristina Molina was always told she couldn’t run for student government — even when she was 12 years old.

But, the rejection never stopped her passion.

“I’ve been getting all these flashbacks to the little me that really wanted to be in student government,” Molina told The Panther just one hour before the polls closed for the Student Government Association (SGA) election. “It means a lot to me, and before I graduate, I really want to be part of my campus and do more than I’ve been able to so far.”

Soon after, Chapman University students elected Molina as the Civic Engagement Senator.

“I’ve always seen SGA around on campus and wanted to run, but kept hearing those same people from my past saying I couldn’t do it,” Molina posted on social media minutes after the announcement of her election. “I decided to stop allowing that negativity prevent me from pursuing my dreams. If a door closes, open a window.”

However, the road to success wasn’t always smooth. Molina is one of a handful of candidates who have spoken out about unknown figures removing or destroying their campaign flyers around campus.

Molina, whose flyer pictured fists of assorted skin tones to emphasize her message of uplifting Black and Latinx communities at Chapman, described how the incidents felt especially hurtful.

“What if I looked different?” Molina said. “I couldn't help but wonder, if I wasn't Latina, if I wasn't advocating for these things, would I get a different reaction? Would these (flyers) still be up?”

At first, Molina thought she might be at fault for the flyer removal; maybe she wasn’t following Chapman’s campus posting policy correctly. However, after repeated incidents, she started having doubts and took to social media to speak out about the missing flyers.

“I thought if no one is going to advocate for us or if no one feels comfortable enough to advocate for themselves, I’ll say something,” Molina said. “I’ll speak up. I’ll be the first one.”

Molina quickly realized she wasn’t alone. Adi Takei, a freshman running for Lowerclassmen Senator, told The Panther she’d experienced the exact same thing.

Like Molina, Takei originally thought the removal of her flyers was her fault. But, after observing the flyers continually going missing while others’ remained up, she started thinking something was wrong.

Although Takei, a public relations and advertising major, knew someone was removing her posters, she said she kept replacing them because if she stopped, whoever was behind the incident would win.

Even when Takei ran out of paper, she started handwriting campaign slogans on tape to hang around her residence hall.

“I wrote on two pieces — one ‘Vote for Adi’ and the next one was ‘Lowerclassman Senator’ — and I put the tape on the (South Morlan residence hall) entrance,” Takei said. “While I was putting those two pieces of tape up, I heard a rip from upstairs. When I looked at the second floor, I noticed this guy had walked by where my poster was … My poster was gone. Within the next hour, the tape I had put up was already gone.”

Takei also described multiple flyers ripped in half and derogatory terms written on a whiteboard, which was hanging on her dorm room door to promote her campaign.

In one instance, Takei noticed a group of people standing outside her door for multiple minutes while she was inside. When they finally left, she said they had written more offensive comments on her whiteboard and drew unsightly images.

“I felt like people were personally targeting me because they didn’t like me,” Takei said. “I was questioning, ‘What did I do wrong? Why do people dislike me so much?’ It was really discouraging.”

Takei also described the isolation she felt during the campaign. Even worse, she didn’t know who was behind the incidents, causing her to feel anxiety and fear toward her peers.

“I’ve felt really unwelcomed by certain groups that I don’t know of on campus,” Takei said. “The fact that I don't know who they are scared me even more. I could be talking to anyone I think is my friend, but secretly they dislike me. No one should feel like that on the campus they are going to be attending for years.”

When Takei saw Molina’s post speaking out on the issue, she felt equally heartbroken and consoled.

“I realized it wasn’t just me,” Takei said. “Part of me felt relieved that it wasn’t targeting me on a personal level, but another part felt really shitty. It really sucks knowing there’s another reason people are targeting other women of color.”

Natalie Karim, a senior political science major who ran for Diversity Student Organization Senator, told The Panther she witnessed a student pulling down Takei’s flyer and ripping it up.

“I was so stunned. At first I thought maybe he was helping move it … Maybe it’s a friend,” Karim said. “When he started ripping the poster I thought, ‘Oh my god he's tearing it down.’ I felt awful, but in that moment, it clicked that this was not an accident or a random thing. People are targeting our campaigns.”

Karim has also been communicating with Dean of Students Jerry Price to find solutions and seek support for the students who have been affected.

Despite the back and forth emails that Karim has been documenting on her Instagram, she doubts that any helpful action will be taken anytime soon.

“We need to look at the cameras,” Karim said. “I really want someone to take a look into the situation, take it seriously and hold these students accountable, because these are the types of students who are creating such a toxic environment at Chapman. If Chapman wants to uphold this message of equality and inclusion, they need to hold those students accountable, or else it's going to spiral.”

SGA President Phillip Goodrich issued a statement to the Senate candidates extending support to students who were affected by the incident.

“I would like to apologize for the challenges some of you have faced during this election,” Goodrich wrote in a Sept. 14 email to the candidates. “Specifically, I am sorry that some in our campus community have decided to remove certain flyers and campaign materials. Removing or damaging flyers from valid posting locations is unacceptable, and we condemn such actions, especially when they appear to be targeted in a disparate manner.”

Chief of Public Safety Randy Burba told The Panther that although he hasn’t personally heard about the incident, he encourages students to report these types of incidents.

"We treat (this) the same way as when (extremist) groups post flyers that are not wanted,” Burba said. “We try to find out who's responsible, and if they're internal, we put them through the internal adjudication process through Student Affairs. If they're external, we'll get the local law enforcement involved, and we'll try to get charges for vandalism or whatever crime occurred.”

Despite negative feelings, Molina was stunned by the amount of community support she found on campus and on social media. She emphasized the importance of positivity and seeing the good aspects of the situation.

“It sucks that my posters got taken down, but over 250 people liked my post, and I don’t even know how many people shared it on their stories,” Molina said. “That is so special. That makes me feel so much better about everything that happened … My biggest take away from all this — and what I want everybody to understand — is that while that did happen, and it was unfortunate, there are hundreds of people who want to help (the people whose flyers were torn down).”