Senator Vincent Giacabazi and his election commission were in
good form Monday night as they succeeded in giving each of the 24
executive board candidates (vying for five offices in next Monday’s
election) at least three opportunities to speak, in roughly two
hours–all the while keeping restless audience members in their
seats and debate-weary students awake.

The candidates helped as well, of course, taking the stage first
with their running mates, then with their opponents for each office
and answering questions posed by members of the commission as well
as the audience.

Candidates focused less on the Busch Student Center and the
Department of Public Safety than the presidential candidates did in
their debate a week earlier, opting instead to address more
rigorously the way in which student government interacts with the
student body.

Topics ranged from student apathy to the funding process for
chartered student organizations. Candidates also debated whether to
standardize core courses and revamp the counseling system.

Administrative vice presidential candidates were split on how to
increase student involvement and awareness of SGA politics. Charles
Flint, of A Change of Course, said he would increase advertising
and urge senators to involve themselves in their community, along
with using polls, surveys and town hall meetings to test students’
opinions.

Gateway to Opportunity’s Maria Rozier came out against “formal
town hall meetings” and said she would create rapport with students
in a “relaxed, college atmosphere.”

Students for Students’ Mark Cepnio proposed using the Luminis
system and event co-sponsorship to increase communication among
different groups on campus. Andrew Wilson, of Ticket to Paradise,
said he would create a rivals series, akin to an intramural
athletic program, which would encourage interaction between
CSOs.

Cari Johns, of A Bird’s Eye View, said one of the keys to
bolstering involvement was incorporation of the graduate community.
She also said in her opening remarks, “We don’t need to combat the
administration … ultimately these bodies have the same goal.”

When it came to the CSO funding allocation process, each
financial vice presidential candidate seemed eager to present a
unique plan for amending and streamlining the SGA’s hectic rite of
spring.

Tom Gill, of Gateway to Opportunity, said his funding committee
would meet with CSOs on Oct. 31 and Jan. 31 to ensure that it was
familiar with the groups before it distributed funds in March.

Students for Students’ Megan Boyne said she would audit CSO
records more than once a year and push for a publicized financial
report. Thiago Takahashi, of A Bird’s Eye View, proposed a two-term
fiscal year and also promised to make SGA the largest fund-raising
organization on campus in order to spur other CSOs to generate
monies for student activities.

Albert S. Huebner, of A Change of Course, said he would rely on
his experience with finances to restructure and streamline CSO
funding.

Perhaps the only topic discussed as much as student involvement
was academics. The four vice presidential candidates for the
academic seat discussed scholastic accountability among students
and teachers as well as the effectiveness of the counseling
system.

“We need to know who the good [teachers] are and who the bad
ones are,” said Ed Miranda of Students for Students. “The ones who
care about us and the ones who see us as stepping stones.” He said
he was opposed to implementing a plus/minus system and instead
proposed standardizing core courses and mandating that teachers
post their syllabi on the Internet before registration.

A Change of Course’s Chelsea Aaberg said she also favored course
standardization over a plus/minus system and would work to reform
the advising system. A Bird’s Eye View’s Jim Schallom said students
needed to be further educated about the idea of a plus/minus system
and also proposed increasing the resources available to graduating
seniors.

Gateway to Opportunity’s Jessica Cusick also said that students
needed to be informed about a grade scale increase. After being
asked a question about the use of an honor code at Saint Louis
University, she said, “We need to hold ourselves accountable for
the grades we’re receiving and the grades we put on our record
later on.”

Executive vice presidential candidates addressed student apathy
in the form of CSO involvement and campus activities.

Students for Students’ Jimmy Bussey said an increase in
communication would decrease apathy, as did Gateway to
Opportunity’s Chris Clark, who said educating students about campus
activities was crucial.

Michele Patrick, of A Change of Course, said she would use a CSO
handbook, which she and other members of Omicron Delta Kappa are
currently revising, to educate student groups. She also sought to
continue the buddy system, which pairs senators with CSOs.

T. Kathy Lambert, of A Bird’s Eye View, said she wanted to post
event calendars and encourage students to read their SGA e-mails.
She also proposed “to increase the program level in the BSC so it
feels more like a home than a shell.”

Similarly, Cusick said she wants to reallocate seminar rooms in
the student center from the second floor to the third and create a
formal study space in their place.

Ticket to Paradise’s McCullough said he would combat apathy by
working to fill senate seats and increase interaction between
student groups, using an umbrella organization. “We should be a
community (of people and groups) that support each other,” he
said.

Much of the focus of the presidential candidates’ remarks was
their ability to shoulder the responsibility of representing the
student body to the administration.

“SGA doesn’t seem to be working,” said Colin Tillman, of Ticket
to Paradise. “Students don’t feel their voices are being heard. I’m
not saying the senators don’t do a good job. They reason we ran is
because we felt we weren’t [represented] in SGA.”

Students for Students’ Jim Swift, who was questioned more than
once about whether his approach to University President Lawrence
Biondi, S.J., was too aggressive, said he would be able to work
with Biondi successfully regarding both issues on which they agreed
and disagreed.

He also said that in order to deal with the president, SGA
needed to view the school as Biondi did, as a business. “Students
need to show Father Biondi they deserve [his support],” Swift said.
“We need to show Father Biondi that our organizations can make
money.”

Justin Butler, of A Bird’s Eye View, said, “All we need to do is
get together and work together and reach a compromise.”

The candidates also addressed the issue of destruction of items
on campus like street lamps and windows.

“Students don’t feel like they belong,” said Bryan J. Flanagan,
of Gateway to Opportunity, who proposed placing the short lamps
with lights on taller polls. “If students feel like they belong and
we don’t offer an easy light to break, we wouldn’t have to deal
with this as much.”

Adam Meister, of A Change of Course, said he felt SLU should
increase its level of community to solve the problem of apathy and
destruction on campus. He also touched on holding senators more
accountable for student involvement.