SGA candidates face off in debate

Candidates for the presidency and vice presidency of the undergraduate student body presented their platforms and squared off in a set of debates Tuesday morning at the Campanile, with just under one week before elections. Voting will begin Monday, April 11 and end April 13. Students can vote online at www.elections.gatech.edu.

Presidential candidates David Andersen, Will Welch, Micah Lucas, Tony Le and Andrew Howard were present at the debate, in addition to vice presidential candidates Saira Amir and Victor Jaworski.

Michael Bennicelli spoke in place of vice presidential hopeful Paul Byrne, who had an ROTC meeting at the time of the debate.

Presidential candidates began with opening statements, after which they answered several questions related to their reasons for running and their views on certain issues.

All of the presidential candidates emphasized the importance of SGA ' s role in improving student life in addition to highlighting their own ideas for improvements. Keeping the student body informed of SGA ' s workings was also prominent in the candidates ' discussion.

Andersen ' s platform emphasized improving the quality of education and student services in addition to student life. He also pointed out how he thought his experience would aid him in serving as undergraduate student body president.

He said that his connections with the administration and experience in making critical decisions as chair of the Joint Finance Committee would make him the best choice.

" This position needs someone who can serve as the student voice, " he said, " someone who has a deep understanding of issues, experience and relationships with the administration. "

Howard presented a similar platform, focusing on improving the quality of education and student life. He proposed the creation of a " reading day, " on the Friday before finals to give students a day off to study. " A lot of schools are already moving in this direction, and I think Georgia Tech should follow them, " he said.

Howard also said that a transition from the president of the Residence Hall Association, his previous position, to student body president " would not be hard to make. "

Le said that his leadership of organizations, as well as his coordinating role in Tech ' s tsunami relief effort, equipped him to be student body president.

He said that his limited involvement in SGA would not detract from his effectiveness.

Next, Welch said that his platform was based on making improvements within SGA. He emphasized the need to appropriate funds properly to student organizations that needed them the most. He also spoke on the subject of getting students more involved in SGA. " People don ' t have a real understanding of SGA, " he said. " They think SGA does not have an impact on the campus. This is not the case, and we need to keep students informed. "

Lucas said that he wanted to let students know about the role of SGA and its decisions. " My biggest concern on the campus is the lack of informed students. I want to improve communication with the student body, " he said. Lucas also said he wanted to increase the awareness of student organizations.

The presidential candidates also presented their stances on more specific issues. All five agreed that the role of SGA is to improve student life, in part by keeping tuition costs low, and to fund organizations. They also agreed that the CRC should not be separated from the Student Activity Fee budget because it might compromise the funds of Tier III organizations. Each candidate said that he would implement significant policy changes if elected.

For instance, Andersen said he would work on extending food court and dining hall hours. Howard ' s initiatives included a midterm course critique, in which course critique statistics would be released eight weeks into the course. Le said that he supported a weekly online newsletter to inform students of events. Welch said he wanted SGA to move away from governing organizations.

" SGA doesn ' t need to closely govern the organizations; let students do that. Our goal is to fund them, " he said.

Finally, Lucas said that he would make himself " more available to students " and " help students stay informed about issues. "

After the presidential candidates made closing statements, vice presidential candidates spoke.

Jaworski said that his experience as vice president of his fraternity and work as a life guard at the CRC would qualify him well for the position.

" Georgia Tech is a very proactive campus, and I will work to increase fun at Georgia Tech and see that clubs will get funding, " he said.

Bennicelli, speaking in the place of Byrne, said Byrne was an " experienced leader who knows how to work and affect the system. "

Amir said that she had the most experience out of the three candidates and was thus the best choice for vice president. " I have been in SGA for three years, and I know what works and what doesn ' t, " she said. " I promise to serve as effectively and efficiently as possible. "