Who has more experience, who would represent a larger portion of the student body and who would better manage the growth of student fees in the ASUO president’s seat next year were just a few of the battles between student government presidential candidates Jared Axelrod and Todd Mann Tuesday night.
Nearly 50 students met in Gerlinger Lounge at a debate between the final two ASUO Executive tickets.
In formal debate style, Axelrod and Mann battled for the majority of student support. Voting in the general elections ends Friday at 5 p.m.
Axelrod was criticized as being “an ASUO insider” and running on a slate, which Mann said was made up of like-minded individuals who are hardly diverse.
Axelrod said all candidates on the slate represent their own opinions and constituencies, such as the greek community, student programs, nontraditional students and Club Sports. He promised to make appointments by seeking out faculty committees and not just by contacting to student unions.
Mann was criticized as only representing the residence hall community and having little experience with program budgets or the student-paid incidental fee.
Mann said he has beat the odds in running against a slate, which traditionally wins the majority of seats, and will represent all campus communities because he isn’t coming into the ASUO with any bias or debts.
Mann and Axelrod presented differing views when asked their opinions on whether the Student Senate should have a role in international politics, specifically the resolution condemning Iran for its nuclear program that was brought to Senate last term.
“We have no business talking about that on Student Senate,” Mann said. “We need to talk about what affects the student community,” such as parking and campus lighting.
The University encourages debate, Axelrod said, and representatives should be encouraged to debate all issues that student groups bring to them.
In his one-minute rebuttal, Axelrod said it’s troubling to him that Mann thinks these issues don’t directly affect the campus community.
“If a program says it affects them, who’s to say it doesn’t?” Axelrod asked.
As president of the Residence Hall Association, Mann said he was the first to pass a resolution against the sale of the Westmoreland Apartments. He said he is not against debate, but resolutions on international matters are outside the purview of student government.
Regarding the ASUO’s fall finance retreat to Sunriver in October 2004, Axelrod said he and running mate Juliana Guzman would institute a “zero-tolerance policy.” If ASUO officers were found to have smoked marijuana, drunk alcohol or written a note that stated that ASUO officers are “cocky, smooth, motherfuckers” drinking on the students’ dime, such as the one left in a guest book at the Sunriver resort, he and Guzman would not allow those officers to work in the ASUO.
Mann said institution a zero-tolerance policy is a “bold statement,” but his ASUO Executive staff would be held accountable for their actions. He said he would ensure, unlike the former ASUO President Adam Petkun, that officers found guilty would be punished.
Mann’s plans for the incidental fee include reforming the budget process so that student groups are rewarded for saving money, not for spending all of their money.
Mann said he and running mate Jontae Grace would not be associated or indebted to any student programs, thus eliminating “the ASUO insider bias.”
He said he would also prevent wasteful spending, such as the Student Senate’s recent allocation of $2,500 toward an advertising campaign to combat “unclassy” fan behavior. Drunk people in the stands aren’t going to stop and look at a classy fan behavior banner before deciding to throw their bottles on the field, Mann said.
With his experience as Programs Finance Committee chairman this year, Axelrod said he was successful in allowing only a minimum increase to the incidental fee, calling it the best budget season in more than five years.
Axelrod said he would work to encourage University administrators to pay for the largest contract and department budgets that are currently covered by the student-paid incidental fee. He said he would continue the PFC model that he instituted this year and use viewpoint neutrality when finding a balance between student groups’ requests and ASUO Executive’s budget recommendations for increases or decreases in budgets.

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