Spring Break
ASOSU candidates go head-to-head in debates
Voting for primary election open on Blackboard until midnight tomorrow night
Rebecca Johnson
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: News
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Current ASOSU vice president and chair of the elections committee Kimberly Nickerson moderated the debate.
At the beginning, each party was given two minutes for introductions and opening statements. Each candidate went on to briefly discuss his or her platforms and experience.
Each candidate was then asked a question in turn, with one other party allowed to give a response.
Nickerson began with Jill Ferris and Chon Madrigal, asking what improvements they would like to see within ASOSU.
Ferris believed staff retention and training should be given priority.
"The best way to [increase staff retention] is to go slowly through the hiring process. We want to change the way that our staff is currently trained," Ferris said.
Chris Van Drimmelen contradicted her by saying transparency was what was key.
Nickerson then moved on to Van Drimmelen and running mate Kevin Schock, who were asked to describe an issue that placed them on opposite sides of the majority of students. He responded that he had strict policies on the issue of student fees and when he would be willing to support an increase.
"Our policy is to not raise student fees unless they meet two specific criteria," Van Drimmelen said.
Schock went on to explain that those two criteria are mandatory increases, such as wages, and ones that come to maintenance.
Presidential candidate Jerred Taylor came back, saying that with the unpredictability of budgetary issues, it is difficult to know what will have to be supported.
"Not raising student fees is admirable; there is also some additional things that need to be considered when setting fee policies," Taylor said. "You never know what is going to be a budget situation that is going to come up. There is going to be certain situations in which a minority population of students is requesting an increase, but for the overall value of our experience on campus, those increases are going to be necessary."
Taylor and Emanuel Magaña were then asked what would be there goals for maintaining OSU sustainability. Something specific Taylor is committed to is lowering paper waste within the ASOSU office, and on a broader scale he wants to work more closely with environmental groups around campus.
"There needs to be a stronger commitment working with environmental affairs and the student sustainability initiative," Taylor said.
Ferris and Madrigal commented that it is part of their campaign to make OSU the number one green university in the nation.
"Something we really want to focus on is being the number one school. OSU already has a lot of different organizations and committees on campus that are focused on green energy and we really want to collaborate with each group and bring them all together so that way we can all bring our ideas and collaborate and move forward with this project," Madrigal said.
Ferris and Madrigal were asked to describe the platform on which they were running. Madrigal said they had four main elements in their platform, with trust being the most important.
"You need to trust your candidates; you need to trust your government to keep the best interest of students in mind," Madrigal said.
Another issue was responsibility, specifically when it comes to the budget.
"ASOSU operates on a $1 million budget. Not only do Jill and I need to be responsible with that but so does our staff," Madrigal said.
Conviction and experience rounded out their platform.
Magaña came back on the issue of experience, which he felt made his party capable of leading within the ASOSU.
"Between me and Jerred, we have eight years of leadership experience around this campus, whether it be in the cultural centers or ASOSU," Magaña said.
Ferris commented that her and Madrigal's experience within ASOSU also gives them an advantage.
"We already know the day-to-day operations of how the office works, so we have ideals of how we want things put into place," Ferris said.
Nickerson went on to ask Van Drimmelen and Schock how they would help the relationship between the legislative and executive branches.
"The relationship between the executive and legislative branch is crucial because if there isn't a good relationship there, then things just aren't going to get done. I want to work with the Senate and the House … to ensure neither organization is standing in each other's way," Van Drimmelen said.
Madrigal responded that communication would be key in aiding in the relationship, saying that it is the job of the vice president to communicate between the branches.
"From my understanding, the VP is going to be in charge of the senate position, so it's really going to come down to the vice president that you elect to effectively communicate with the executive branch of students and the legislative branch," Madrigal said.
Taylor and Magaña were asked how they would make sure graduate students were represented within ASOSU. Taylor said that this has been an important issue with him for a long time, and said that when he authored the new constitution, he made sure that graduate students were represented. One of his ideas was to adequately compensate a graduate student for working in the executive branch when they may be able to seek higher earnings through internships.
Van Drimmelen said he believed it is ASOSU's responsibility to go to the underrepresented students on campus, of which he believes graduate students are a part, instead of waiting for them to come to ASOSU.
"Part of Chris and I's platform is reaching out to underrepresented groups, and I would venture to say that graduate students are underrepresented within ASOSU," Schock said. "ASOSU needs to stop waiting for its students to go to it, and start going to the students."
Next, one question from each party was read for the other two parties to answer. Ferris went first, asking how the candidates would adjust the MealBux program to make it more effective. On this subject both parties agreed that the program needed to based on greatest need, instead of first-come-first-served.
Van Drimmelen came next, asking his opponents which was the greatest issue they felt were facing students today.
Taylor answered first, feeling budget cuts were going to hurt OSU in the long run and said that there needed to be more advocating to increase funding for higher education.
Ferris agreed that keeping education affordable was a big issue. She said that working with legislation was going to be crucial in making sure higher education is available to all students.
Magaña wanted to know what experience the other candidates had in leading a large staff of their peers.
Ferris brought up not only her experience as director of government affairs at OSU, but also that she is vice president of her sorority, which makes her accountable for around 70 other women. Madrigal was also able to bring experience as a previous president of his fraternity.
Van Drimmelen believes his current position of president of the Residence Hall Association gives him the qualifications needed to be ASOSU president. Schock brought up his experience as a resident assistant, which makes him responsible for around 40 other students. He also said his experience as a legal intern over the summer gave him insight into office management and conflict resolution.
The candidates also answered the audience's questions after their debate.
"I thought all the candidates had important things to say. I think they are all good candidates, but I am personally going for Ferris and Madrigal," said Dayna Remmers, a sociology major who came in late for the debate.
For Peter Nguyen, he believed experience was key for whoever takes over the position.
"I feel like if you're going to walk into an organization and take it over … you should know how the organization works and the people who currently work in it," Nguyen said.
Some were simply happy the event even took place.
"It's really exciting to have a primary election at all this year. The questions were really thought-provoking and gave the students a lot to think about." said Kim Konrad, a communications major and a member on the elections committee.
Students can vote in the primary election on Blackboard until midnight tomorrow night. A general debate is scheduled for next week, with general elections right after.
Rebecca Johnson, senior reporter
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
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