Candidates for student body office focused on student needs and services during their second debate.
The Latter-day Saint Student Association hosted the second debate among the candidates for president and vice president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah Monday. The debate, moderated by Century editor and last year’s presidential candidate, Steve Nelson, featured questions assessing the platforms and personalities of the candidates.
As the presidential candidates told the roughly 100 students gathered in the institute what they believed their most important role would be, each promised to focus on the students.
AnnMarie Allen of the Elevation Party promised to represent students through her actions and decisions.
“In the end, they just want to see things a little bit better for them,” she said.
Bill Edwards from the Impact Party promised to find out what students need and then work to provide that.
Steve Rinehart of the Probable Cause Party said the most important role of the president is to act as a voice of the students.
“The ASUU president needs to be not afraid to stick up for their interest,” he said.
Steven Paradise from the Apathy Party did not participate in the debate because he had a lab.
The candidates discussed students’ needs for better communication with ASUU as they spoke about what they would change from the practices of this year’s administration.
Rodney Earl, the vice presidential candidate from the Apathy Party, said ASUU officers need to give students information about the issues.
Allen also said students need information, but focused on letting students know about ASUU services.
Colter Hammer, Elevation vice presidential candidate, said communication within the boards of ASUU needs to be improved so each board knows its duties.
Edwards said students need information regarding involvement. He proposed holding food and information days to educate students about ASUU and issuing a monthly press release detailing all the activities and projects of ASUU boards. He also advocated continued support of the email system ASUU recently set up to inform students.
Randall Lloyd, the vice presidential candidate from Impact, said he admired the “proactive nature” of ASUU this year, and said he would like ASUU to stay flexible, ambitious and proactive.
“The majority of students hardly know what ASUU does,” Rinehart said. He said this is because most of ASUU’s operations are in the background, and he would like to raise student awareness of ASUU by focusing on programs students see as well as continuing the activities students do not see.
Annie Deprey, the candidate for vice president from Probable Cause, spoke about the unity of ASUU’s members.
The Elevation and Probable Cause parties addressed student needs in their closing statements.
Elevation’s Allen and Hammer spoke about the different atmosphere they want to bring to campus.
“We want people to be able to talk to people,” Allen said. Hammer also expressed a desire to serve students.
“We believe we will be the strongest advocates students ever had,” Deprey said in Probable Cause’s closing statement. Rinehart mentioned specific issues he wants to solve, such as the parking problem and teaching assistants.
Apathy closed by asking students to vote.
“We as students need to get rid of apathy on our campus,” Earl said.
Impact spoke about their campaign and leadership style in their closing statements.
“We are running a campaign right now that speaks for itself,” Lloyd said. “Everyone is working so well together.”
Edwards said he feels Impact’s leadership style is what ASUU needs next year.
“I was disappointed with the lack of specificity in the candidates, but I was impressed by the abundance of character,” Nelson said after the debate. “The campus could be in good hands next year.”