ASCWU general elections debate kick off week of voting

The ASCWU general election debate kicked off election week at Central on Monday night in the SURC Pit. Student government candidate debates followed by the arts fee debate began just after 6 p.m. on May 4.

The debate opened with junior law and justice major, Nina Caldwell and sophomore aviation management major, Vic Savino, running for vice president of legislative affairs.

Caldwell “guarantees student’s voices will be heard in Olympia.” Caldwell plans to organize events for first year students that will educate them about the Washington Student Association, encouraging them to register to vote.

“My mission is to put the students first and their voices,” Caldwell said.

Savino, currently serving as the legislative organizer at the office of legislative affairs, makes a similar promise. In his opening speech, Savino stated that he plans to bridge the gap between the students of Central and the state legislature to help maintain accessible and affordable education for all students.

Running for vice president of student life and facilities as write in candidates are juniors, Rene Mahnke and Beatrice Wambui.

Originally from Germany, Mahnke gained his great appreciation for higher education after moving to the states his junior year of high school. From overcoming a language barrier to working countless hours in the SURC as a media technician, Mahnke is confident that he can better student’s college experience by improving Central’s website to better promote clubs and organizations.

Wambui who currently serves as President of Central’s black student union, plans to collaborate with the athletic department and various on-campus organizations to increase spirit and pride among Central students. In addition, Wambui promises to maintain a clean and safe environment.

Running for Vice President of equity and community affairs are sophomore special education major, Olivia Durham and junior Spanish and social services major, Yazmin Aguilar.

Durham, who has spent the last year working as a community programmer for ASCWU, said her office will include advocating for marginalized student groups on campus and encouraging those groups to get involved in the community.

“Students should vote for me because it’s important to include all students from all backgrounds in order to become a dynamic university and grow as individuals,” Durham said.

Before transferring to Central, Aguilar served as vice president of her community college. Aguilar said through that experience, she discovered her love for this position and plans to be as approachable as possible to help meet the needs of students.

Running unopposed for Vice President of academic affairs is junior law and justice major, Hauke Harfst. Having already served two years on the academic senate, Harfst said he plans to improve academic advising to help students graduate on time, and with as little debt as possible.

Running unopposed for Vice President of clubs and organizations is Brittany Kinsella. Kinsella’s goal for this office is to help all clubs on campus gain new members. She expressed her desire to achieve this through a personality quiz which would match students to clubs that best fit their personality.

Junior finance and economics major, John De Han, is also running unopposed for Executive Vice President. De Han stated that he believes the most important role of this position is getting students involved, and helping them build their resumes and make a difference early in their college career.

Running for President is junior musical theater and political science major Ryan Anderson and senior mechanical engineering major, Jose Garcia.

Anderson expressed his goal of being a liaison between student’s needs and the resources on Central’s campus. If elected, Anderson said he plans to establish a stronger identity on campus and expand the recycling and compost system.

Garcia aims to promote career services, and encourage involvement from the multiple cultures that Central represents. Through effective communication, Garcia hopes to ensure that all students feel welcome.

The student led art fee caused quite the stir, among debaters, Nick Shuey, executive vice president and junior music education major, Brian Lawrence.

While Lawrence compared the arts fee to the athletics fee, arguing that it would improve retention and provide opportunities to benefit all Central students, Shuey disagreed.

“It’s messed up for students to have to fund other student’s departments so that they can benefit their outside activities,” Shuey said.

Let your voice be heard. Online voting polls are now open until May 7.