Ohio University’s Student Senate election season slowly launched online as Twitter campaigns began to pop up in the early morning hours Monday.
Three tickets are competing for OU students’ votes: Action, One and Restart.
Restart is the only ticket without current senate members.
Roughly 10 percent of OU’s student voted in last year’s election, with 2,313 votes being cast. The number was an improvement from 2012, when 2,172 votes were cast, but did not come close to the 4,057 that were cast in 2011, according to a previous Post article. Both undergraduate and graduate students will vote in the senate elections on April 17.
The Post sat down with the executive candidates for each ticket and asked for their thoughts on the current senate and how they foresee the organization under their own administrations.
Action ticket
Twitter: @action4ou
Fundraised: $200
The Post
:
Why are you running?
Kandeh: I thought that by running I could not only help see the changes that I want, but I could help the changes for people all around campus and have those conversations and put those plans into action. I just wanted to see people thrive and really, really come and accomplish the goals they set from themselves when they stepped foot on campus as a freshman.
The Post
: How would you help students understand university topics such as OHIO Guarantee and the Housing Master Plan?
Kandeh: One of things that we want to do is, if we we’re to be elected as president and treasurer. … We would want ourselves to be able to set up a monthly newsletter that would go out to all students explaining things like that ... because I think sometimes a lot of technical terms get thrown in to things you know like, ‘I don’t understand what that means,’ but really … putting it into, not even into layman’s terms, but just being conversational with it.
The Post
: If elected, what would you like to accomplish as an executive board?
Kandeh: We want to start a student foundation (that would raise scholarship money for other students), one that is organized, fundraised, and once the scholarship money is collected, given back by students. ... We all know someone (who has left for financial reasons) and it's tragic because it’s not that they couldn't do the work, they just couldn't afford it anymore. ... I'm passionate about (a student foundation) because I believe in organization.
The Post
: What’s one major problem Student Senate currently has that you would like to fix?
Troyer: One thing that I think is a problem is kind of being transparent with a lot of the things that we do. Particularly with our money transactions, I know that we pass the budgets in the (general body meeting), but I feel like in the past it's been an issue of we haven't been transparent enough, especially since the money that we do use is General Fee. I feel like one thing that needs to happen is that students need to know where every penny of their General Fee money goes. They need to be able to go online, look at our blog and say, “okay $26 went to hosting this event and $500 went to hosting this event…”
The Post
: Why are you the best candidate for the positions you are running for?
Kandh: I’m tenacious; if something needs to be done, I’ll get it done in the most efficient way that I can. I’m purposeful, everything I do, I do with purpose. I understand why I’m doing it and if I need help, I ask for it. … I’m also innovative; things change all the time and you have to be ready for that and be able to come up with something new, something that’s going to bring people together, something that’s going to make people think critically.
Troyer: I’m definitely motivated. I’m going to take the time to make sure that everything gets done right, gets done well. I’m going to make sure, if elected, that it is transparent. I think that’s something that needs to happen and I feel like that’s something I’m really dedicated to making happen, making sure that that’s known. I feel like I’m hard working and I feel like it’s going to get done.… I definitely want to make sure that senate can put on all of the same programs that we have been putting on as well as doing more advocating (of) things because it’s not all about the money, it’s not all about the programs because we aren’t just a programing body, we should also be an advocating body.
The Post
: What do you think of the other candidates?
Kandeh: I know Alex George because she’s also a Scripps kid and I’ve seen her through WOUB, she’s pleasant. I’ve worked with Carter (Phillips) through of course with SAC, he’s also a great guy, Jordan as well. The students on… Restart, I’ve spoken with Jolana (Watson), she’s wonderful. I don’t have anything bad that I can say… They’re good people.
The Post
: How did you pick the name for your ticket?
Kandeh: We talk about a lot of the changes that we want to see, we talk about how to engage students and really get them to come out and talk about things and really put into plan, what the university needs, but we have to take action on it too and that’s where the name comes from.
@MariaDevito13
md781510@ohiou.edu
