Students gathered last night to hear student government candidates debate topics concerning issues of diversity at N.C. State. 

The candidates are as follow.

Student Body President: Rusty Mau, junior in economics, with running mate Devan Riley, junior in accounting; Alanna Propst, junior in political science, with running mate Grant Do, junior in business administration.

Student Senate President: Alex Yadon, junior in electrical engineering; Alex Grindstaff, junior in biological sciences.

Student Body Treasurer: Carson Shepherd, sophomore in political science; Megan Wright, junior in accounting.

Senior Class President: Molly Basdeo, junior in middle grades; Shreye Saxena, junior in computer science.

To begin, candidates were asked to introduce themselves and were then asked a series of questions pertaining to women, the Hispanic community, the queer community, students with disabilities, African Americans and Native Americans.

Mau said his goal was to put students first and to ask the question, “why not care about diversity?” 

Propst said her campaign would focus on research done to represent and advocate student issues, ensuring the transparency of Student Government and putting in place leaders who are passionate about leaving an impact and legacy behind. 

Mau said it was important to get more young females involved in STEM areas and that N.C. State could play a role in this, as the biggest challenge is for women to understand they have a place in the STEM fields.

Grant said the Women Center should not only be a place to seek protection and expert advice, but also a place that fosters opportunities.

Regarding the recent resolution that will include a space for students to enter their sexual orientation when applying, Propst said it is unfair for these students to feel like they are not welcome at their home and fixing this starts with making students aware and educated.

Both Grindstaff and Yaden said the University must take into consideration the standings of the businesses they partner with, namely Chick-fil-a, to ensure there are not gaps in what the institutions support regarding same-sex marriage.

Wright said it was important to take into consideration how not allowing same-sex marriage affects people financially. 

Carson said she didn’t feel same-sex marriage should even be a political question and that it is a problem that these people are not viewed as equals in our community.

Mau said to increase visibility and awareness of the Native American community, it is necessary to spread awareness of current events and then expand these events to work with all tribes.

Propst spoke on the topic of verbal or physical abuse experienced by people with disabilities, saying that in order to stop this abuse, one had to start with educating people. Propst said the current chair of the disability commission did an amazing job in implementing Wolfpack Pickup.

Mau, who helped fund $1,000 toward the service, added he heard students say that the service stopped them from dropping out of the University. Mau said, as SBP, he hopes to expand the service to Centennial Campus. 

Sheyre said in order to stop abuse against students with disabilities it was necessary to take a stand when inappropriate comments are made as it often the case that those making the comments are not bad people, but people who haven’t had a moment of clarity.

Without undocumented students, Propst said, the University would not be as diverse as it could be and that programs like the Dream Act and DACA were not enough if they did not allow students the possibility of coming to campus and seeing other students like them. 

Riley said he did not approve of the Dream Act because, as he personally witnessed undocumented students working hard in high school, he sees it as unfair to ask them to serve in the military if they are not inclined to do so. 

Do added that UNC-CH recently had an undocumented student run for student government, proving that these students can be leaders on campuses. 

Regarding possible tuition increase for out-of-state students, Propst said it was the in-person interaction with officials she felt would help the most. As a student who personally struggled financially, Propst said she did not want to put herself apart from any student that would suffer from tuition increases.

Basdeo said that an increase in tuition would mean fewer alumni would feel the desire to give back to the University. 

Shreye said that when people complain about tuition increases it is a sign that they are unhappy with the education they are receiving and that these increases should only be made when necessary to ensure the school remains a valuable and competitive entity. 

Shepherd said as treasurer, she would help clarify how the appropriations process works while highlighting smaller groups.

Wright said it was her goal to be fair and unbiased and to make sure organizations were not punished by the actions of previous presidents.