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Show r Page 2 The Thxmderbird Monday, February 27, 1984 Presidential candidates respond to issues Editor's note: In order to provide voters with to the presidential candidates, The Thunderbird invited Theron Jensen of the U.S. Party and Scott Price of the G.O.L.D. Party to answer questions pertinent to SUSC students. additional insight Are you satisfied with how student government has spent money from student fees? If not, how do you propose to use them differently ? Yes, I am basically satisfied with the way student funds have been spent this year. The job of student leaders is to make a students college stay both an educational and a social experience. The student fees have been spent in such a manner that both of these goals have been met. The funds budgeted to the Executive Council have been spent very effectively in the generation of excellent social activities. These activities have involved all the different groups on campus, thus giving every student the opportunity to grow socially here at SUSC. The Senate, on the other hand, has given students the opportunity to broaden their horizons and grow from exposure to different points of view. The fact remains that student fees are spent differently every year. This is the case because the student officers have the power to budget monies in a manner they feel will best serve the needs of the students. The budgeting skills that I have developed through my training in accounting, finance and business administration will allow me to efficiently budget monies in order to allow every student the chance to grow both academically and socially while attending SUSC. Price The GOLD party, and myself, have spent a great deal of time investigating budgetary abuses within student government, and have written a number of proposals that would benefit our entire student body. We feel student fees would be better spent on such programs as: The Graduate Interview Program a program especially for upcoming graduates but open to all students in which representatives from major graduate schools and businesses are invited to the SUSC campus to conduct interviews and inform students of opportunities. Additionally, we propose establishment of a student tenant association that would represent and Jensen protect both students and landlords; and act as a mediator between parties during conflicts. Virtually every other college in our state already has such programs, supported by an active and informed student body. We could catch up with their help, in a relatively short period of time. My partys platform includes additional programs supported by my senators that can be viewed at our information booth (space precludes me from elaborating here). In short, it doesnt take a group of miracle workers to get things done in student just hard workers. government Some students object to having to pay student fees at all. At some schools, students are not rquired to pay fees if they prefer not to. Would this be a possibility you would consider? II, Section 2 of the ASSUSC Constitution states that all full time students are required to maintain membership in the ASSUSC by paying the required student activity fee. Thus, a constitutional amendment would be required in order to allow students the choice of paying or not paying student fees. I am not opposed to this change in the constitution, however, a student who would not elect to pay fees would need to understand a number of things. First, that student would not be afforded the rights and privileges established by the constitution. Second, the student would gain entrance to activities and events funded by student fees only after paying the full cost of admission. (The student would not hold an activity card.) Finally, the student would forfeit his right to vote in affairs concerning the ASSUSC. Jensen Article Price Of course I am open to any and all suggestions regarding student fees. Personally, I feel we need mandatory fees kept at some minimum level to support vital programs that might otherwise not exist. Just where this minimum level is will require some investigation. A realignment of fees, and perhaps removal of some are in order. But where the students are concerned, there seems to be a philosophy in favor of forming initial budgets as a base for quality programs to build on. line-item- s, Propose a solution regarding student apathy toward campus activities, acadamic performance, and student government. Jensen If the problem of student apathy is to be overcome, we must (1) inform the students of the role student leaders can play in enhancing their college experience and the personal growth they can obtain by being involved; (2) open avenues through which more students can become involved and help to control their college environment. The main instrument that will be used to inform the students will be the senate. Each school, under the new form of government, will have three senate representatives. These senators will be the chairpersons of committees that will be formed in each department of the school he or she represents. Through the use of these committees the senators will gather information relating to the problems of each individual area and return to the senate, where bills can be drawn that will remedy the problem. Another means by which input will be received and involvement increased is through the implementation of a student advisory board. This board will consist of representatives from organizations and special interest groups who would not mold will into the activity-oriente- d Executive Council. Meetings with the president and vice presidents would be held twice a month. During those meetings input would be received and complaints aired. From this point the problem would be taken to the body that could most effectively handle the problem. (Senate, Executive Council or Institutional Council) The plan for representation and involvement we propose would not defeat the purpose of the constitutional amendment recently passed by the student body. Price For the last three years, at SUSC, I have watched the student body elections come and go. Every year it seems the issues boil down to nothing more than a popularity contest. Each candidate creates some catchy slogan for students to recognize, and promises to solve the problem of apathy on campus by contriving another bureaucratic process of information getting. Before I discuss the solution to student apathy directly, let me posit a few observations. First, complicated processes for polling students, and then somehow acting on their wishes empirically fail. Recently, student government held an open meeting for everyone interested in the constitutional changes to be voted on two days later. Only three people that were not directly affected by the changes showed up for the meeting. However, everyone that was directly impacted by the changes (those of us running for office) was there. My point is straight forward. If student government is visably involved in programs that really do something for the student body (like the job placement programs, job newsletters, retail internship programs, and student tenant associations) then, and only then, will the student body get involved in student government. As we increase quality programs on campus, the quality of our people on campus will increase as well. I support an active student government that seeks to develop the broader interests of our students, in return I believe we can expect attendance by our students at our senate meetings and student forums. Party system ousts independent candidates G.O.L.D., U.S. parties dominate primary balloting , field full slate of candidates in Wednesday's election by Ethel Lyman Scott Price and Theron Jensen will vie for the ASSUSC presidency in the upcoming general elections Wednesday. Some 750 SUSC students voted in a primary election Wednesday to decide final candidates for ASSUSC business and technology senators and student body president for the upcoming general elections. The final tally of votes for candidates for the three business and technology senate seats was: Kent Hugh, 126 votes; Brooks Washburn, 116; Lana Houston, 106; 1984-8- 5 Karen Gutwald, 82; Robert Mull, 63; John Christy, 63; David Button was eliminated with 44 votes. The tally for the two finalists for student body president was: Price, 370 votes and Jensen, 178. Those eliminated were Ray Olsen with 144 votes and Gordon Gurr with 46 write-i- n votes. General elections for student body officers will be Feb. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Voting booths will be located in the library and Student Center. Results of the election will be announced at an elections dance the same evening. The Thunderbird will publish a special edition Thursday with the results. Staci Bird and Bruce Hiskey are candidates for vice president of social affairs. Vice president of academic affairs candidates are Steve Wright and Bob Sperry. Lyle Castle, Stuart Adams, David Lee, Mark Fuller, Mike Mauger and Jeff Woods are science senator candidates. Education senator candidates are Susan Bond, Sonja Munson, Delna Saywer, MarKay Caldwell, Nancy Wheeler and Sharon Judd. Candidates for arts and letters senators are Bill Honeck, Lea Brown, Mike Michie, Marcia Stephens, Riley and Barbara Lowder. Stuart |