Candidates for Student Body President and Student Body Vice President participated in a debate Wednesday in an attempt to prove why they would be the best choice to lead Student Government and be the voice for N.C. State students.
The debate took place in the Governance Chamber of the Talley Student Union and was attended by about 50 students, faculty members and members of Student Government.
The presidential candidates are Alanna Propst, a junior in political science, and Rusty Mau, a senior in economics. The vice presidential candidates are Grant Do, a junior in business administration, and Devan Riley, a senior in accounting.
The candidates started with an overview of their platform, which consisted of their plans to address student concerns as well as their qualifications.
Propst, who serves as co-director of communications alongside Do, emphasized her and Do’s compatibility as running mates and their history of leadership roles in Student Government.
“We’ve worked together for over a year, and we know how amazing we are together, and we have all the experience to prove it,” Propst said.
They also stressed increasing advocacy for the student body, working with student organizations and improving transparency.
“We are a bridge between the students and the administration. We are going to use that bridge to be the best version of that that we can be,” Do said.
Mau’s opening statement highlighted his ticket’s successes in Student Government despite only one year of experience and building a strong relationship with Chancellor Randy Woodson and the Board of Trustees to promote student interests. Mau also mentioned his intentions to address shortcomings during this year’s Student Government session.
“Each student pays 20$ in student fees to Student Government, and we feel this organization has done a disservice to each and every one of you,” Mau said. “We each only have one year of experience in Student Government, but we’ve made a tangible impact to serve students, and we have demonstrated the leadership, proven results and effective communications methods to put students first.”
Mau expanded upon his intention to promote student interests with Woodson and the N.C. State administration.
“A vote on the N.C. State Board of Trustees is extremely important as it dictates policies that effect all student son campus,” Mau said. “During the past two years as the chancellor’s aid I’ve built a relationship with the Board of Trustees and the chancellor, and that will allow me to be comfortable when talking to them about what’s important to students.”
The candidates also addressed diversity in light of a recently passed Student Government bill that will include an option on admissions applications allowing prospective students to disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity.
“We are in full support of bill,” Propst said. “As much debate that has been going around, we understand that making those steps and help furthering [the inclusion of GLBT students] is something we’re passionate about and something we wanted to support. It’s on our platform, and it’s something we wanted to stand behind.”
Mau also supported the legislation as a step in the right direction for the University in terms of diversity.
“Every student should have the right to believe what they believe, and every student should feel comfortable expressing those opinions; This piece of legislation is the first step,” Mau said. “It allows people who identify with the GLBT community to say that they indentify on their application and to get the resources they need to feel comfortable at N.C. State.”
When the moderators opened questions up to the audience, sophomore in political science and Student Body Treasurer candidate, Carson Shepherd, said Propst wasn’t confirmed by the Student Senate for her position as director of communications, which is in the statues of Student Government, according to Shepherd.
Propst said the statute was never brought to her attention by former Student Body President Matthew Williams and that a title isn’t required to serve the student body and be a leader on campus.
“With a specific title or not, I was still going to go out there, and I was still going to do my job at every one of those Student Government meetings,” Propst said.
Immediately after Propst’s response, Riley said he wasn’t confirmed as the deputy director of campus outreach by the Student Senate either and that he wasn’t aware of that protocol either.
Do attributed this lapse to the sudden transition of power when Williams stepped down as president, and asked Shepherd to take up her concerns with Williams and Student Body President Alex Parker.
“I think it’s important to look at a person’s record of accomplishment and what they’ve done in Student Government,” Mau said. “It doesn’t matter what their title is; it’s all about whether you respect integrity of the organization and whether you’re truly committed to putting students first.”
