(CU Independent graphic/Adam Milner)
The University of Colorado’s student government will have all new members take office, according to the UCSU spring 2010 election timeline.
On April 29 the candidates will take office.
Thirty-nine candidates are running for seventeen positions, three of which are tri-executive, seven are Arts and Sciences student government positions, four are representatives-at-large and eight are positions for the College of Engineering, according to a media advisory released from UCSU on March 17th.
Tuesday night, the candidates will partake in a debate that will allow them to vocalize their goals for the upcoming year to students, according to the election timeline.
As candidates prepare for the debate, some say they look forward to the opportunities that accompany being elected.
Peter Swanson, a 21-year-old senior advertising major is running on the Empower ticket for the position of tri-executive.
Swanson said that after being asked to run in the election, he wanted to take advantage of the chance to help UCSU become a more efficient organization.
“I was approached with the possibility of running by Rodrigo and it took me awhile to decide,” Swanson said. “But it’s really exciting thing to be a part of UCSU and I was honored to be approached to join the ticket.”
Swanson said one of the biggest goals for those running on the Empower ticket is working to keep college tuition at an affordable level.
“’Keeping college affordable’ is our slogan,” Swanson said. “We’re focusing on letting students get the education they need without being crushed by piles of debt. We want them to be able to afford the education they deserve.”
Another key focus of the candidates of the Empower ticket is to bring greater visibility to UCSU overall, according to Swanson.
“It starts out with simple connections,” Swanson said. “One of the things we can do as a ticket is to spread awareness through personal connections. We’re working to increase the visibility of what’s going on in UCSU. Our decisions affect the students.”
Daniel Ramos, a current tri-executive and 23-year-old 5th year Spanish and sociology major said he feels election time is very exciting for everyone involved.
“It’s one of the few times out of the year where students are able to directly engage with their student government,” Ramos said. “I think students have the opportunity to decide the leadership and representatives they want for the student government as an organization moving forward. It’s a great time right now.”
Ramos said he is expecting a complete dedication to the organization from the candidates who are elected into office.
“I really hope to see a commitment to the organization,” Ramos said. “It’s an incredibly important time for students. We need people to come in ready and committed to the org. and the students.”
Hunter Barnett, 22, a senior business major with an emphasis in finance and operations and information management is running for the position of tri-executive on the Veritas ticket said that he wanted to run because of his prior knowledge of the inner workings of UCSU.
“Being a member of UCSU already, you see the inner workings and what issues affect the student most,” Barnett said. “Being educated on these issues already and having an idea of how to address them and make CU a better place for everyone is why I wanted to run.”
The Veritas ticket focuses on tuition and how that translates to accessibility to the university for some students, Barnett said.
“Accessibility and affordability are key, if we can’t have students from all walks of life come here, what does that say about our diversity here on campus?” Barnett said.
Barnett also said that transparency is a crucial focus for candidates of the Veritas ticket, but that he would like to see a stronger connection between CU students and the greater Boulder community.
“It’s important to work on our CU and greater Boulder community integration,” Barnett said. “We live in a great town. There’s a living, breathing city we live in and there are opportunities to help our city.
Barnett also said he would like to see a community service project occurring once a semester.
Some candidates, such as Karl Hoffman, a 20-year-old junior international affairs and Chinese double major, chose not to be affiliated with either ticket. Hoffman is running independently for the position of Representative-at-Large.
Hoffman said he chose not to run on a ticket because he thinks it will bring greater diversity to those running.
“I don’t think an independent candidate has ever won,” Hoffman said. “It’s not that I disagree with the tickets, but I think there should be diversity. Being an independent candidate, I will bring diversity to the election. Coming from an independent platform means new angles and you need a diversity of opinions.”
The concerns of in-state students regarding tuition increases is a crucial focus for his candidacy, Hoffman said.
“My main issue is I’m an in-state student and talking with other in-state students about the financial things going on, my issue is what can UCSU do to help students deal with these new financial burdens,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman said that seeing the future renovations to the rec center take place in a responsible manner is what he looks forward to most, if elected.
“The recreation center renovation, that’s what I’m looking forward to,” Hoffman said. “That’s what’s going to be the big budget issue and the next big thing on campus. To see that go through successfully and in a financially responsible way that satisfies what is important to UCSU, it will be a fun process that will benefit the students too.”
Some students say that even though they are aware of UCSU’s presence on campus, they are unsure of what projects the student government is involved with.
“I’m aware of student government,” said Emily Wieder, a 20-year-old junior psychology major. “I only vote when I’m aware elections are going on. I’m still unaware of what UCSU does; like that building by Kittridge, what is it?”
Other students say they believe UCSU has the attention of the student body, thanks to their advertising.
“I think [UCSU] is well known,” said Samantha Taylor, a 21-year-old senior physics major. “I’ve seen a lot of fliers and banners advertising it and elections.”
Hanna Ding, a 20-year-old junior MCDB major, said she votes because she is a student leader on campus.
“I only vote because I am a student leader on campus and know some of the candidates running,” Ding said. “But I don’t think the average CU student participates because our first duty is school, work and then to pay attention to our school, sometimes it’s hard to get your voice out there when you are buried under books.”
The voting officially begins at 12:01 am on April 5 and continues through 8 p.m. on April 8.
Alexander Schnell, a 22-year-old political science major and UCSU election commissioner, said students can vote online through their CUConnect accounts.
For more information on the voting process or to see the official UCSU spring election timeline, visit UCSU’s Web site.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writers Sarah Simmons at Sarah.e.simmons@colorado.edu and Lauren Knobbe at Lauren.knobbe@colorado.edu.
