John Ely, an undeclared junior, is running for ASUO president. Hayes Hurwitz, a sophomore economics major, is running for vice president.
Q: There are, at last count, 10 tickets running for ASUO Executive this year, which is more than past years. What do you think will set yourselves apart from the other candidates?
A: I think that everybody is going to be saying a lot of the same things and coming out with a lot of the same proposals. I think with any political race, you have to go with the candidate who wants it the most and who is willing to work the hardest to get it. I definitely think that I have already put in a lot of time on this campaign.

Q What is your platform?
A: It’s based around taking the existing system and expanding it, but not any radical changes. I am pushing for more convenient use of all school facilities. I would like to see later hours for the library. I also want tighter control over student incidental fees. I just want a committee or a review board as another level of review for the budgets. I basically see the ASUO as a government set up to do nothing but handle these fees. We need to set up another check and balance to get the full extent of our political power. I just think the incidental fees are where the majority of our problems are coming from. I don’t even like calling them student incidental fees; it is basically just a tax. I think students need to understand that they are being taxed and that is what they are voting on here, how they want their tax dollars to be spent.
Q: What will you advocate for on the state level for students, and how will you carry out your plans?
A: I plan to act as a gateway. I am not necessarily advocating that I am going to go fight for anything at the state level. Basically, what I mean by gateway is that if I feel that someone needs something done or has an issue that someone feels strongly about, and they don’t think they can get it done on campus or think their voice is being heard on campus, I will go out and find them someone to talk to.
Q: What specific campus-oriented initiatives will you champion?
A: We plan to act as a gateway for students to have their voices heard, and not only on campus but at a municipal, state and national level. As for specific initiatives, I want better sports ticketing. I can’t promise anything, but I promise I will fight for it. I definitely don’t think we need to be standing in line and missing our classes. My idea to solve this problem is based on a first-come, first-served basis tied in with some type of lottery. I would also like to do a broadcast of the game in Mac Court for those students who did not get tickets. For the ASUO staff, I plan to split the Greek advocate to a male and a female and the multicultural advocate into a male and a female.

Q: How would you define diversity? And how do you plan on bringing together the diverse voices on campus?
A: We have all lived very diverse lives on this campus. I think that we need to build more social awareness for culture. Basically, I would like to see more promotion of culture for everyone and for everyone to take part. I definitely think people need to go out and be their own person. As far as promoting diversity, we should let people be who they want to be.
Q: If two groups were at odds with each other, how would you resolve that conflict?
A: I think that politics equal compromise. That is the only reason we even have a government. I think that logic and understanding is the only way to ever reach a good agreement. I would just sit down and try to mediate as much as possible. If one side is illogical, I would probably side with the logical case. I would weigh the circumstances.
Q: If there was one thing you could change about the University instantly, what would it be?
A: I think that the best education is achieved in the discussion section. However, graduate teaching fellows lack the ability to teach. I would like to see the professors doing more discussions because I feel they are the place where questions get answered.
Q: How would you do things differently than the current ASUO Executive?
A: I think that I need to take what they have already done and keep progressing. Progressive nature is the way to be — moving forward always — and I just need to keep trying to make this a better community for our students.