SBP Debate: discussing views on sustainability, sexual assault, advocacy on campus

Two student body president candidates and their running mates gathered for the debate hosted by Student Media on Thursday. The candidates discussed their views on sexual assault prevention, sustainability and financial accessibility.

The two tickets that participated in the debate are:

Presidential candidate Emma Carter, a third-year studying sociology and international relations, along with her vice presidential candidate Nicole Teague, a third-year studying business administration.

Presidential candidate Alex Obiol, a fourth-year studying textile engineering, along with her vice presidential candidate Lexie Malico, a third-year Ph.D. student studying chemistry.

Technician editor-in-chief Jonathan Carter, a fourth-year studying political science, moderated the debate.

After he introduced the panelists and explained the structure of the debate, Carter encouraged the candidates to debate with one another during the second round of questions.

The debate began with the presidential candidates’ opening statements where each candidate discussed their experience within Student Government and as student leaders, and the main goals for their candidacy.

Obiol gave the first opening statement.

“I am so excited to say that I want to be able to bring other students to the table, to give their input to the other administrative bodies that I have worked with,” Obiol said.

Carter then gave her opening statement.

“I am here to run for your next student body president,” Carter said. “We are all about accessibility, inclusion, collaboration, ally and sustainability. This is about the pack.”

The three panelists were Nubian Message Editor-in-chief Keilah Davis, a fourth-year studying physics; Technician News Editor Alicia Thomas, a second-year studying political science; and Mary Goughnour, social media editor for Technician and a fourth-year studying communication, asked six questions in the first round and six questions in the second round to the presidential candidates.

Below are the questions asked by the panelists:

President Round 1

What tangible steps will you and your administration take to combat sexual assault on campus?

Obiol discussed her collaboration with the organization “It’s On Us,” which works to bring awareness of sexual assault on campus, and said she hopes to continue to foster this relationship with the organization if elected.

Carter said she wants to prioritize consent training for incoming students, offering a module program similar to Alcohol Edu for rising first-year students to take upon acceptance to NC State.

Carter also cited the Association of Student Governments’ choice of sexual assault as the issue to tackle this past year during her involvement with the organization.

The first-year on-campus living requirement was implemented this academic year. What are your thoughts on the sustainability of this program, and what about it, if anything, should be changed going forward? What is your opinion of the first-year on-campus living requirement?

Carter said she wishes to foster the relationship Student Government has with the administration to ensure all students have access to living on campus.

Obiol recognized the positive aspects of a first-year live-on requirement, but also said that in its current form, it is an issue at NC State, suggesting temporary solutions for a temporary problem.

According to Obiol, NC State will be improving housing options in upcoming years.

Jonathan Carter followed up with a question asking Obiol to specify her temporary solutions.

Obiol said her solution would be to find ways to bridge the gap between main campus and Centennial Campus by hosting Welcome Week and other important events for first-years on Centennial to foster inclusion.

This is a student-submitted question: Both candidates address sustainability issues in their platforms. However, an issue that goes largely unnoticed is that of fossil fuel divestment. NC State invests up to 6 percent of its over $1 billion endowment in fossil fuels, according to data in the Investment Fund. How would the candidates address these ethical and environmental problems with the endowment if elected?

Obiol mentioned a meeting with her running mate Malico and the Climate Reality Project, stating that there are many benefits of attending NC State when addressing climate change.

“You have the ear of the broader Raleigh community and the broader North Carolina community as the largest state institution,” Obiol said.

Obiol also emphasized the desire to increase talks on divestment and bring the topic to the Association of Student Governments, the most accessible avenue for change.

Carter mentioned the importance and unique qualities that the positions of student body president and student body vice president possess. She stated they serve as a conduit of change with communication between students and administration.

Carter mentioned the goal of bringing the issue to Association of Student Governments, defining it as a UNC System-wide issue that was not specific to NC State.

Jonathan Carter interjected with a follow-up question to both candidates, inquiring as to whether each candidate considered this particular investment to be an ethical problem.

Carter stated that it is not only an ethical issue but also an issue in general; however, she stated that it is necessary to identify that it is an ethical issue in order to solve the issue.

Obiol stated that she believes it to be an ethical problem and defines NC State’s decision to invest in fossil fuels while claiming to promote sustainability as being hypocritical.

Both campaigns have talked a lot about accessibility. How do your plans for improving accessibility on campus differ from opponents?

Carter said the accessibility within the student organization registration process is something she wishes to address.

To increase awareness regarding the steps of the process, Carter suggested a how-to town hall to educate students. She also discussed the effect that her role as a university ambassador has had on her perception of accessible routes on campus, or lack thereof.

Carter wishes to work in conjunction with the Disability Resource Office to ensure that students are being advocated for.

Obiol said she wishes to prioritize physical and financial accessibility.

She cited her past work to ensure financial accessibility for students in Student Government, specifically her work in creating the PACK Meal Share program as well as working with the Career Development Center to expand the professional clothing closet and create a graduation robe closet for students.

Obiol also mentioned the importance of increasing accessibility within the application process to NC State, with Beyond the Box legislation in Student Government and further. She wishes to work toward implementing this on the state level as well.

Jonathan Carter presented a follow-up question, asking Carter what she would do specifically in her role as Student Body President to rectify current issues dealing with mobile and physical accessibility on campus.

Obiol asserted that she had embarked upon an Accessibility Walk to identify spots on campus that need to be revamped to improve accessibility, noting the absence of elevators in the Tucker and Owen Residence Halls.

She emphasized the importance of advocacy on this issue, stating that NC State prioritizing renovations will necessitate constant student advocacy.

Carter said that as a university ambassador, she notices that students with assistive devices are forced to choose one of two available tour routes, and that the ramp to the Free Expression Tunnel is particularly treacherous.

In tackling this, she plans to talk to the administration and facilities on campus. She identifies the administration as the most important resource in this mission and plans to further the relationships she has already established with administration.

What is the biggest threat to diversity and inclusion on this campus, and what steps will you take to address these issues?

Obiol identified students’ perceived lack of a platform to facilitate change to be the main threat, saying that students should feel free to be themselves and advocate for themselves.

Upon election, Obiol said she plans to expand the preexisting roundtable to create a Diversity Round Table to include different marginalized identities within Student Government deliberations.

She stated that a group such as this one would provide Student Government with ample insight in helping the student body.

Carter cited access to resources as the biggest hindrance to inclusion. She mentioned sexual assault reporting specifically, as well as the availability of police on campus.

To achieve bridging this gap, she mentioned increasing awareness of the OnCampus app as well as creating an app to facilitate sexual assault reporting for students, allowing them to save details of reports with timestamps.

What is one point in your opponent’s platform with which you disagree?  

Carter stated that the structure of Obiol’s platform is the biggest hindrance to her campaign and its presentation, specifically in that it addresses the utilization of specific departments for change rather than outreach and specific initiatives to be tackled and achieved while in office.

Obiol stated that while her and Carter’s platforms were similar overall, the weakness of Carter’s platform is that it is not organized by department. She emphasized that the strength of her own platform with Malico was their specificity in detailing which departments would be utilized to achieve each specific initiative.

Obiol stated that Carter’s plan of outreach comes across as broad ideas without structural backbone.

Presidential Round 2

For Obiol: You say that you want to provide a path to offer in-state tuition to DACA students who completed high school in North Carolina. How realistic do you think this goal is, and how do you plan to accomplish it?

Obiol stated that she believes that this initiative is realistic saying that the goal is legitimized by the presence of similar programs in other states. Carter complimented Obiol’s proposed initiative.

She asserted that the goal, though realistic, may not be achieved in one term but will be advocated for throughout the entirety of her presidency if elected.

Obiol cited her previous work on the Undocumented and DACA Student Support Act as a first-year senator.

Jonathan Carter interjected with a follow-up question for Obiol, asking what specifically she was going to do to make the proposed goals regarding DACA recipients happen.

Obiol answered that the North Carolina General Assembly would be a great resource.

“Let’s put it in a bill,” Obiol said. “Let’s see where it goes on the state level.”

Carter asked Obiol how she planned to incorporate out-of state DACA students.

Obiol answered that the initiative is specifically for North Carolinian students, and characterized the fight for out-of-state students as “a battle to be won,” but that fighting for in-state DACA recipients is the first step.

For Carter: You say that you want to allocate ASG funds back to students. What are “finance funds,” and how can students access those funds?

Carter cited the Association of Student Governments as an organization that allowed for growth in this area.

Carter defined “finance funds” as students paying a fee to the Association of Student Governments. According to Carter, students can access these funds by applying online to the fund that is available.

Obiol followed up by asking how Carter planned to use the communications department to promote the Association of Student Governments.

Carter said she would utilize tools such as social media to reach out to administration, citing past experience collaborating with the communication department through her internship. She also emphasized the opportunity to collaborate with Student Media as another helpful resource.

Obiol asked another follow-up, asking how Carter planned to expand the relationship between Student Government and Student Media.

Carter answered saying she would prioritize meeting at the beginning of the month with Student Media representatives to ensure that their goals are aligned.

For Obiol: In your platform, you say you “hope to work with athletics to ensure inclusivity for all students regardless of ability status.” What problems currently exist, and how do you plan to address them?

Obiol answered that it is important for University Athletics to include individuals of all abilities, asserting that accessibility is not a one-size-fits-all on campus.

Carter added that her running mate, Nicole Teague, would be a better resource, as she is both an athlete and an individual who wears a hearing aid. She also said that it is important that all students are able to participate in school spirit.

For Carter: In your platform, you say that you want to hear from and collaborate with nontraditional students. What’s the biggest issue facing nontraditional students, and how do you plan to address it?

Carter states that because nontraditional students on campus come from all different types of backgrounds and places, the Carter-Teague ticket wants to ensure that events held on campus are including these students and plans on actively reaching out to their communities through town halls.

Obiol mentioned expanding the Winter Welcome Week for spring transfers, allowing them to see all the many organizations and know they are welcome to get involved.

For Obiol: You say in your platform that you want to bring back “What To Fix” (WTF). In your opinion, why did that initiative fail and how do you plan on making it sustainable in the future?

Obiol responded that she believes that WTF is very helpful.

“WTF is a super cool way to hear about the issues that normal students feel like is affecting them,” Obiol said, defining “normal students” as those that are outside the purview of Student Government.

She stated that the Office of the Executive Assistant would be an optimal place for WTF upon re-establishment because monitoring is the role of the executive assistant, who is also in close proximity to the president and vice president.

Carter stated that this would be a beneficial initiative to allow for a diverse pool of student opinions to be heard in Student Government.

Obiol added that there is a version of WTF on her campaign page, where students have the ability to write something that they feel like is really affecting their campus experience.

Both candidates have experience in Student Government. What is currently the biggest issue facing Student Government, and how as student body president are you going to work with that and resolve that issue?

Carter said she believes that students’ lack of knowledge about Student Government is the biggest issue and said she would like to work to educate students on how Student Government can help them and benefit their college experience.

Obiol wants to show students what Student Government has the ability to do, since many students believe that Student Government does not have the ability to do anything.

In addition, Obiol pointed out the low retention rate of people of color in Student Government. She believes that the culture of Student Government is the cause of this.

To combat this, Obiol wants students of color to be put in the executive cabinet and in charge of other departments on campus.

After the debate concluded, each candidate was offered one minute to deliver closing statements, both highlighting how they plan on advocating for students.

“We are running on ‘This is about the pack,’” Carter said. “This includes accessibility, inclusion, collaboration, ally and sustainability. Thank you.”

“Lexie [Malico] and I have been advocating for students the entire time we have been here at NC State,” Obiol said. “We haven’t had to wait for an election period to do so, and we promise to do so, as long as we are students here at NC State.”

Voting opens on March 4 at 8 p.m.