Correction 4/18/19: In our previous version of this story, we presented statistics stating that 0.6 percent of CWU students voted in the ASCWU primaries. This proved to be a mathematical error, and the number is actually 6.67 percent of students voting.

Jasmin Washington and Brendan Dolleman remain as candidates for ASCWU President after primary voting on April 9. Washington led the election results with 302 votes making up 37.8 percent of the total number of voters, closely followed by Dolleman with 286 votes and 35.8 percent of voters. Candidates Alejandro Alcantar and Dominic Choi roughly split the remaining 26.5 percent of voters between them.

Both candidates Washington and Dolleman report feeling confident after the primaries, but notice the relatively low amount of students that are voting in ASCWU elections.

A total of 800 votes were casted out of the nearly 12,000 enrolled students at CWU, with only about 6.67 percent of CWU students voting.

“I know that we have the opportunity to reach out to more students to get our voting rates up and make sure that more students’, all students’, voices are being heard,” Washington said.

According to Dolleman, one problem could be a lack of information about the election being provided to students. Because of this, his campaign is trying many different strategies to get students to vote, most notably posters referring to popular memes spread across campus.

“Percentage-wise not a lot of students vote on campus, and the number-one question I got coming in to primaries was ‘how do you vote,’ and the second question I got was ‘oh, this isn’t the general [election]?’” Dolleman said.

However, the problem may be simply that finding information on elections, even where to vote can be difficult. Voting results aren’t obviously posted anywhere on the ASCWU website, and there doesn’t seem to be a link to online voting.

Voting for the general election will take place on April 25 online and in the SURC from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Dolleman

Dolleman’s campaign has made commitments to three main issues he has seen on campus: parking, entertainment for students and fostering transparent and trusting relations between the students and CWU.

“I’ve already met with Central’s Chief of Police and we had a conversation about possible plans and solutions to solve parking,” Dolleman said. “Parking is an interesting issue, as tuition and other fees can’t be used to pay for a new parking lot, for example, because it’s not a capital investment.”

A capital investment is anything which directly brings back money invested, such as new residence halls or improvements to the SURC. Parking itself doesn’t generate revenue or entice students to enroll at CWU so it isn’t counted as a capital investment.

Dolleman hopes to help CWU’s retention rates and he wants to do it through improving the entertainment options for students in Ellensburg. He referenced the loss of Rodeo Bowl six years ago, and is looking into options for possibly bringing a bowling alley back. Ideas include buying Rodeo Bowl’s former location, or use the former New York Teriyaki building which was bought by CWU last May.

After the active shooter false alarm last quarter and issues with snow, President Gaudino spoke on 88.1 The Burg to explain some of CWU’s decision making processes. Dolleman cited this as an example of transparency that he would like to replicate more of if he were to be elected as president.

Washington

Washington was the president of CWU’s Black Student Union for two consecutive years. She currently works at the Wellness Center as a sexual health and healthy relationships peer health educator which, according to her, is a position where she has worked on over 30 programs.

Washington said that her campaign is focused around making realistic promises with plans to back them up, a theme that can be found in her slogan: “I’m not selling change, I’m implementing it.”

“I think oftentimes when people start their campaigning and they get into positions of power, they often forget those promises that they said they were going to keep,” Washington said. “Anything that I have stated, I know that there is plan set out for me to be able to do that.”

One of those plans is for a referral plan with the goal of improving CWU’s retention rates which have been on a downward trend for multiple years.Washington explained that how this system would work is that a student with a financial hold on their account would be sent an email by the financial aid department with advice and/or resources to help the student out of the situation they are in. She says this might include providing resources to help with mental health or academic issues.

Her experience in the Wellness Center has gotten her involved with providing tampons and other menstrual products in the public restrooms on campus, a project she hopes to complete as ASCWU President.

“The same way we provide condoms in the wellness center we should be providing female hygiene products,” Washington said.