Student Assembly presidential and vice presidential candidates presented their platforms and vowed to end Assembly infighting in a public debate in Collis Common Ground last night.
Presidential candidates Jim Brennan '96, Jeremy Katz '95, Danielle Moore '95, Caleb Scott '97 and Kenji Sugahara '95 and vice-presidential candidates Alex Morgan '95 and Rukmini Sichitiu '95 were given two minutes for their opening and closing statements and time to answer three questions posed by a moderator from the Green Key Society.
About 75 students heard the candidates present their goals and visions for the Assembly during the debate, moderated by Green Key President Kaja Schuppert '95. Green Key is in charge of organizing the election, including setting up the debates and running the voting Tuesday.
Schuppert asked questions about candidates' views of the purpose and direction of the Assembly and the issues facing the student body.
"There is not one overwhelmingly large problem on campus," Brennan said. "We need to solve the small problems before we tackle the big ones."
Brennan said that although he supports the Greek system and led the "Vote Yes" campaign of the Fall Referendum on the Greek System, he realizes the lack of alternative social options on campus.
All candidates spoke out against the political infighting that has plagued the Assembly over the past year.
"I would like to rid the Student Assembly of its politics altogether," Scott said. "It's sad that the Student Assembly has grown farther and farther away from those it is intended to serve."
Scott said he sees the role of Assembly president as a moderator. His comparison of the Assembly to clowns in an audience-less circus drew laughter from the floor.
Moore focused much of her talk last night on the importance of creating a link between the administration and the entire student body by electing an Assembly president who is respected and open.
"Unity can come from people excited to be on Student Assembly," Moore said. "If the government can bring some respect back to the Student Assembly it will make people want to get involved again."
Moore described her vision of the Assembly as a body that is representative of all students with an agenda that includes women's and minority issues.
Katz said the path toward a unified Assembly must be directed by a strong leader. "Give it a leader who has direction and purpose, who will keep it under control," he said.
Katz presented a platform based on student issues, which included housing and student safety.
All candidates agreed that at this point it is crucial for the Assembly to regain the respect of the student body.
"We're all students here. We're all about the same age. I don't understand why student government has to be dog-eat-dog," Scott said. "We're here because we want to serve one another."
Sugahara described reforms he would make from within the Assembly and focused on making the Assembly fun and increasing communication between it and other student groups.
"The budget should be cut even further if Student Assembly does not use the budget properly," Sugahara said.
Morgan, who is running for Assembly vice president, said her experience in the Assembly has allowed her to discover the weaknesses of the group.
"It's not serving the student body," Morgan said. "We're not getting our money's worth."
Morgan said she plans to run a "project-oriented" Assembly which will produce tangible results.
Sichitiu said she will lead an Assembly representative of the diversity of the student body and wants to make the campus a more conducive place for learning.
"Leadership is linked inextricably to person," Sichitiu said. "Look to the ideas and not to the pictures."
