Let the race begin.

The Associated Students of the University of Utah have begun that ever-traditional springtime event?the presidential and vice presidential (and Senate and Assembly) election.

The season began March 20 outside Kingsbury Hall, where candidates paraded their nascent campaigns and began honing their public speaking skills. Some flopped, none soared and the rest were mediocre. The 35 audience members sitting on Kingsbury’s steps were unenergized by the presentation?no candidates truly shined. But this is their first shot, and candidates can use the debate as a foundation to build a successful campaign. Ahead of them exist many opportunities to strengthen their arguments and improve their leadership abilities. Here’s an introductory breakdown of the competitors’ first performance.

Starting from the top of the alphabet, let’s first look at the Apathy party?Steven Paradise and Rodney Earl. The first words out of Earl’s mouth at the debate were: “We’re ignorant of the intricacies of student government.” Not the wisest thing to say when you are campaigning to lead more than 26,000 university students. The Apathy party, according to Earl, wants students “to tell us what our priorities should be.”

Paradise and Earl have not done the research necessary to really lead students. However, this aspect of their grassroots (aka group of engineering department friends) is old news to both candidates. In his online ASUU statement, Paradise writes, “Actually, if by some incredible fluke we are elected, we would fulfill only the least requirements that we need to get by.”

The Apathy party is the clear underdog of the ASUU presidential/vice presidential election. However, in their case, it is not without reason.

The next party up is the Elevation party, with AnnMarie Allen running for president and Colter Hammer for vice president. Though Allen was visibly nervous, giggling on several occasions, Hammer seemed to steady the party’s boat. For 99 percent of her time in front of the microphone, Allen was glued to her script, reciting idealistically broad statements like “taking ASUU to the next level. However, Allen has proven her acute people skills throughout her short tenure as ASUU senior class president, and will have to let some of that show in order to excel during the remaining debates.

On the issues front, the Elevation party provided little excitement?student discounts here, communicating with the student body there. One issue that Elevation brought up that no other party did was sustaining the current ASUU administration’s fight for an endowment to sustain the child care center. As a continuation of the current administration’s efforts, the child care center may also be Hammer’s pet project?he is the only candidate that is married (though without children, he is quick to add).

The next party is the Impact party, with Bill Edwards running for president and Randall Lloyd for vice president.

Though it is the party that has seemingly been involved with every group on campus, it does not embody the saying “Jack of all trades, master of none,” but hopefully will embody the saying “Jack of all trades, master of at least one.”

These two aspiring leaders may be amicable. However, amicable does not mean capable. Their platform is built on creative but mostly unattainable ideas?an ASUU carpool Web site, a better football fan club and, what Edwards described as “a luncheon type thing,” where the ASUU president will select a random student to sit down and have lunch with. Is this an adequate way to gauge the concerns of the other 25,999 students on campus?

Last on the list of aspiring parties is the Probable Cause party, with Steven Rinehart running for president and Annie Deprey as vice president.

Both from the college of law, the Rinehart and Deprey duo presented a few clearly defined aspirations: solve the parking problem, reform grading policies and increase English proficiency among foreign teaching assistants. However, their campaign is not bereft of useless ideas?including what Deprey calls a “huge annual party” the night of Homecoming and a new weight room for the five people that current utilize the facilities.

Rinehart is quick to boast (and inclined to repeat) that he is the “law student that is suing parking services.” It is obvious that he plans to capitalize on his student advocate status. Out of all the parties, Rinehart’s was the only one that eschewed sweeping generalities about “communicating with students,” and focused in on a few key (albeit lofty) propositions.

In the end, no party gave an Oscar-winning performance and no candidates showed an overt energy or passion to lead. Again, though, this is the first debate?a warm-up for getting their respective platforms up and rolling.

Campaigning for student body president and vice president is an immense endeavor, and almost all of the candidates appeared genuine in their first debate?polite in their responses and courteous during their interactions with other parties.

Only time will tell which candidates will step up and take the ASUU reins.

Laura welcomes feedback at: [email protected] or send letters to the editor to: [email protected].