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The ASUO executive debate featured a rapper, a “douchebag” slayer and a self-described cowboy, among the usual suspects – a collection of ASUO insiders and their friends.
282 Lillis was the venue, and it was not even half full. The people in attendance wore colorful shirts, denoting their allegiance with one of the various slates. Many of the attendees were running for office themselves, either Student Senate or Programs Finance Committee.
There was a palpable sense that the debate was nothing more than a perfunctory exercise in preaching to the choir.
All of the candidates were there: Ty Schwoeffermann and Paul Kammerzelt; Sara Hamilton and Athan Papailiou; Richard Nile; Ted Niedermeyer; Jonathan Rosenberg and Avital Ostfield; Emily McLain and Chii-San SunOwen; and Ari Lesser and Phil Wood.
Although there was a large number of candidates – more than in past years – most of the candidates agreed with each other on every issue, with few exceptions. Niedermeyer was the exception, as his platform consisted primarily of terminating all douchebags. It was refreshingly honest and sent the audience into apoplexies of laughter.
McLain, on the other hand, spoke like an animatronic character at Disneyland, but her points were valid. “We don’t want a government dictated by a few, but a government dictated by us,” McLain said, implying everyone on campus.
McLain spoke like a true debater, though her rhetoric was dry. She and SunOwen emphasized lobbying in Salem and taking textbook concerns directly to publishers.
It was a populist stance, one shared by every other person on the stage. But the executive debate is rarely about taking controversial stances.
Hamilton and Papailiou looked like junior bank tellers, wearing snappy suits, and emphasized their experience – to the point of redundancy. Nonetheless, the tactic worked well as it gave the pair credibility. In past elections, the candidates with the most experience have inevitably won. Sometimes candidates run as ASUO outsiders, but this tactic generally backfires, with the recent exception of 2005-2006 executive Adam Walsh and Kyla Coy.
Self-described cowboy Richard Nile, sporting a pink polo shirt with a popped collar, continually referred to his outsider status. This became apparent when he outlined a plan to re-invest overrealized incidental money, which is unfeasible according to current rules.
Nile was not the only ASUO neophyte. Both Lesser and Wood declared their outsider status, but unlike the rather dry rhetoric of Nile, they added elements of levity.
Asked what they would do to support the nine percent of students in the Greek community, Lesser said, “I’d give them nine percent of my attention.”
Lesser answered one of the questions with a rap, an interesting tactic that was impossible for the other candidates to counter.
Schwoeffermann and Krammerzelt appeared professional and dedicated to change, primarily concerning diversity concerns. Their platform, however, seemed to have only one note – an emphasis on reaffirming the University’s Diversity Plan.
Similarly, Rosenberg and Ostfield dedicated time to explaining their most important issue: instituting a textbook exchange. Rosenberg also said he did not want to discuss ASUO insider information as much as in years past.
Among the many issues on which all the candidates agreed was creating a more open and transparent ASUO.
Each candidate appeared poised and professional, within reason, which bodes well for the future of the ASUO. Nonetheless, a lack of seriousness permeated the room, as many questions were answered with pithy jokes as opposed to longwinded statements. This also bodes well for the ASUO.