Ledger

Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Campus News

    The Associated Students of the University of Washington Tacoma Student Government candidate debates took place on April 12. Each candidate focused on the school’s transition to a four-year university.
    The candidates running for president, Jennalise Geary and Wil Johnson, spoke first. Geary emphasized a new look for the school and student government in general, citing her background as a member of the first freshman class. She focused on her willingness to stick with her position, even if things become difficult.
    Johnson said he plans to work with the models already in place on campus, combined with established methods by other universities to create a “family university environment” in Tacoma.
    The candidate for vice president, Ray Shepherd, promised to continue with the current Husky Fever campaign to increase student awareness and involvement. Shepherd is currently a co-chair of the Legislative and Advocacy Committee. He is running unopposed.
    Senate candidate Steven Wolff held that Student Government is the “voice of students on committees to the administration and surrounding community.” While he held that the complete transition from a commuter campus to a four-year university is still largely in the distant future, he said he plans begin to move in that direction by creating student surveys and holding student forums if elected.
    The second senate candidate, Richard Cardenas, relied on increasing student involvement in various organizations available on campus, citing his own first quarter experience.
    Candidate Tommy Bauer, another freshman running for a senate position, focused on improving overall activities on campus and school pride. He deemphasized the current usage of the e-mail postings to alert students of activities, drawing his attention to message boards, like those found on the Seattle campus.
    Another freshman candidate participating in the debate for a senate position, Ji Yeam, focused on listening to student concerns and working to make changes accordingly. He brought up the fact that he would be able to reach out to the minority population on campus, since he himself isn’t from the United States originally.
    Senatorial candidate Glenda Hedden did not attend the debates.
    Acting President Noah Schmidt brought perhaps one of the most important questions of the debate to candidates Geary and Johnson – how they would deal with a team that has a tendency to “crumble from underneath them” due largely to external factors.
    Geary said that she has moved closer to campus for that purpose and would be there for any need that arose within and outside Student Government.
    Johnson focused on his prior experience as an Army medic, emphasizing that he would do his best to keep the team together and work through the problems that arose along the way.

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