Issues were debated, platforms clarified and points of view reconciled-or not-during the Student Government Association Executive Board and the Feb. 25 ballot referenda debates.

The debates, which were moderated by SGA Election Commissioner Lucie Swain, took place Monday, Feb. 18, with approximately 70 students in attendance. Questions were posed by a panel of administrators and students: Vice President of Student Development Kent Porterfield, Ed.D., Chartered Student Organization Coordinator David Young, Interfraternity Council President Scott MacArthur and former Panhellenic and Oriflamme Executive Board Member Tracie Hudson. Questions from the audience were also included.

Of the four E-Board positions, only the administrative vice president position is contested, which left Anuoluwapo “Dami” Daramola and Michael Harriss as the only ones to directly debate. Both emphasized the need to open up communication between senators and their constituents in their opening statements.

MacArthur asked about apathy among senators, which Daramola said could be combated if constituents had a chance to react to what was going to be discussed in meetings ahead of time. Harriss advocated the need to increase accessibility to constituents’ senators, which he said would give senators “more motivation to actually get their job[s] done.”

Both candidates also emphasized the need to enforce deadlines for turning in legislation for meetings.

When prompted by Porterfield, executive vice president candidate Alex Joyce spoke in favor of leadership opportunities on campus. If elected, Joyce said he could give students the “leadership they are looking for” by providing more opportunities for it, such as expanding the spring CSO fair.

Panel member Young directed questions about the usefulness of the activity fee at financial vice president candidate Jonathan Perdue. Because of the growing number of CSOs, Perdue said an activity fee increase was necessary and advocated transparency regarding how the funds were used.

When Hudson asked Samantha Morr, candidate for academic vice president, how to give SLU students better opportunities in nationwide job markets, Morr said she was considering creating a database similar to one already in use in the John Cook School of Business. It would track alumnae around the country, in order to “connect [current] students and former students,” she said.

Once the candidates had their time in the spotlight, it was the referenda’s time to shine.

Smoke.free.slu Vice President Carly Caminiti and member Saloni Nayar spoke in favor of restricting smoking to only city property and parking lots, citing the dangers of second-hand smoke.

“We feel that health should be the number one factor in this, and that everyone deserves the right to clean air,” Caminiti said.

Seniors Tom Applewhite and Travis Brimhall argued against the ban. Applewhite said that the current plan would ostracize smokers, and that there isn’t enough security for smokers in the suggested new smoking areas. He also said that smoking should be allowed since it is legal, and that the new measure isn’t enforceable.

The steadily dwindling audience finished the night with a referendum debate of whether or not to increase the activity fee by $10 during the 2009-2010 school year, followed by a 5 percent increase each subsequent school year.

SGA Financial Vice President John Curry and Senator Ben Corrado spoke in support of the plan, while senior Jared Walsh and Senator Rehan Refai argued against it.

Corrado cited the large increase in the number of CSOs and therefore an increased need for funding as one reason for the fee hike, saying that CSOs have nearly tripled in number since 2000, from 34 to more than 100 today. In addition, Curry said that the plan would prevent the fee from jumping drastically every few years, which he said was how increases were historically handled.

Meanwhile, Walsh argued that while there should be some kind of increase, there shouldn’t be a systematic increase every year.

“SLU is already expensive,” he said.

Calling it “taxation without representation,” he said the system as planned lacked checks and balances.