Three tickets are running for the executive positions of the Undergraduate Student Government Tempe. Each ticket has a candidate running for USGT student body president, vice president of services and vice president of policy.
Voting for the USGT executive election will take place from March 31 to April 1.
The candidates discussed important issues to the Tempe student body at a debate in Tempe on March 24. The debate was moderated by USGT Elections Commissioner Jaiden Bigney.
The "Choose Chan" Ticket
Spencer Chan, Hailey O'Loughlin and Owen Washburn are running on the "Choose Chan" ticket.
Chan, a junior studying management, is running for student body president and said his campaign focuses on fine-tuning existing functions in USGT before creating new ones.
"I've broken down our leadership into three things," Chan said. "Why don't we master what we already have at our feet; change starts from within; and listen, then lead."
O'Loughlin, a sophomore studying political science, justice studies and civic and economic thought and leadership, is running for vice president of services. She said the most important thing is making USGT and its services more accessible for students.
Washburn, a freshman studying business, is running for vice president of policy. Another issue he saw was the underrepresentation of student governments at the local and state levels while interning at the Arizona State Senate.
"I can't promise any legislation will be passed, of course, but I can promise that I will be there presenting and speaking for ASU Tempe and for the beliefs that our ticket has," Washburn said.
Voters can learn more by visiting the ticket's Instagram profile.
The "Select Solomon" Ticket
Solomon Tyler, Maddie Cicenia and Brooke Arneson are running on the "Select Solomon" ticket.
Tyler, a junior studying finance, is running for student body president. He emphasized his ticket's connections with other University organizations like the Black African Coalition, Scholars of Finance and Greek life.
"The grand scope of this USG ticket is really what separates us apart, and I think that it'll be the key factor that will allow us to really make good on these initiatives," Tyler said.
Cicenia, a sophomore studying finance, is running for vice president of services and said affordability and access to USGT funds are another major issue.
"Students really don't realize they're paying $70 a year with their tuition that goes straight to the student government," Cicenia said. "They don't realize that they have all these opportunities and resources right in front of them that they could go ahead and use and further better their ASU experience."
Arneson, a junior studying biomedical engineering, is running for vice president of policy and also said USGT resources should not be something students have to search for, but should already be widely available.
Voters can learn more by visiting the ticket's website.
The "Run Ragland" Ticket
Rohn Ragland, Jack Roach and Hailey Glicksman are running on the "Run Ragland" ticket.
Ragland, a junior studying political science and justice studies, is running for student body president and said the ticket's main goals are improving affordability, enhancing campus safety and making sure every student feels their voice is heard.
"I want students to know they have a seat at the table," Ragland said. "I want students to know that we are here to advocate for the one student that feels like they have no community, the one student that feels like they have nobody on ASU's campus — we are that person's people."
Roach, a junior studying business, is running for vice president of services and again emphasized the importance of outreach and informing students of services they could be utilizing.
Glicksman, a freshman studying political science, is running for vice president of policy and highlighted how transparency was important for students to feel heard.
Voters can learn more by visiting the ticket's Instagram profile.
Representation and awareness of student services
A prominent issue in the debate was student representation and low levels of engagement with student services.
Chan noted low participation in USG elections and services overall as a problem. Chan said a majority of students "aren't voting, aren't letting their voice be heard and don't really know exactly (what) USG is doing for them."
READ MORE: Students stress need for participation in USG after a small election turnout
Cicenia proposed going into freshman classes to help raise awareness of USGT and campus services.
Roach stressed the importance of greater outreach offline to help solve this problem.
"There's an issue there with people not even realizing that these services are there," Roach said.
Outreach and community
Candidates emphasized the importance of outreach to engage students with USGT.
Chan mentioned that USGT outreach can connect students with important resources. He stressed the importance of building face-to-face relationships with the student community.
Tyler noted the importance of building community on campus and awareness of USGT.
"Whether it be reaching out to clubs and presenting to them or having them come to us and give forms and give their feedback, we're going to work exactly with students and do everything that they need," Tyler said.
Ragland brought up the importance of advocating for everyone within the ASU community.
"We're not here to just advocate for bigger organizations," Ragland said. "We're here to advocate for the one person, here to advocate for the student, individual in itself."
Budget
Bigney asked the candidates what budgets or programs they would eliminate first if the USGT budget were reduced.
Chan said he would cut underutilized discretionary funds first. He noted that he would not cut the outreach budget, stressing the importance of outreach to familiarize students with USGT.
Tyler said the first thing he would cut is stipends given to USGT officers.
"I'm not doing it for the money," Tyler said. "I'm doing it to make an impact on campus and to really see students feel that we're advocating for them and that they have a good experience on campus."
Tyler faced criticism from the other candidates for this policy suggestion during the Q&A portion of the debate.
Ragland said the three places he would cut spending from are merchandise, team-bonding and travel for USGT officers.
"I don't think USG members need to travel when we have students still trying to figure out where their rent is coming from," Ragland said.
Affordability
Both Tyler's and Ragland's tickets focused on student affordability at the debate.
Cicenia said affordability is a major issue, saying it causes "a huge stress factor on campus."
Cicenia proposed a meal swipe donation program where students can donate unused meal swipes to those in need at the end of each week.
Ragland also stressed the importance of increasing affordability for students.
"There's no reason ... students at ASU should have to pay for required materials for class," Ragland said.
After the debate, Ragland also brought up expanding the availability of Maroon and Gold dollars to other restaurants on and around campus.
Campus safety
Candidates identified student safety as a major issue that USGT should focus on.
Chan presented an idea for USGT officers to tell students about campus safety programs and encourage students to utilize them during tabling events.
Washburn identified student safety as a major issue and said it should extend beyond the Tempe campus.
Washburn also brought up a program to inform students of their rights in light of recent immigration enforcement activity in Arizona.
After the debate, Ragland said his ticket plans on expanding safety escort hours throughout the weekends to increase student safety, and Roach advocated for building more streetlights and emergency call boxes on campus.
"Every student should feel safe on campus, I cannot stress that enough," Ragland said. "Not just big groups, not just people that usually feel safe, but every student."
Edited by Carsten Oyer, Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporters at spkeelin@asu.edu and msweador@asu.edu and follow @miasweador on X.
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