Today is your only chance to vote for your student government representatives. To vote, visit http://rusaelections.webs.com/.

Last night’s RUSA Presidential Debate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics was the first ever hosted at the University. Despite the extensive preparation that went into its organization by Election Committee Chairman Ben West, the turnout was expectedly low. To be fair, it was drizzling…

This year’s election finds three experienced and formidable RUSA representatives vying for the top position: John Aspray, Yousef Saleh and Sam Firmin. Because we know that you did not watch the debate, in spite of coverage by the Daily Targum, RU-TV and WRSU, not to mention yesterday’s heartfelt Opinions piece by Ben West, we will address the issues raised in the course of the debate and the candidates’ positions on each.

QUESTION 1 concerned the lack of widespread participation and interest in RUSA as a governing body. As a young organization conducting its first open election, RUSA has been plagued by a lack of interest among the student body since its inception. While each candidate agreed that students must be made more aware of their student government, none addressed the more pressing issue of widespread student apathy. Broadly, Yousef proposed fostering the appearance of a legitimate organization in RUSA, thereby increasing the prestige associated with being a RUSA representative. He briefly mentioned the possibility of an incentive package for involvement, but this issue was not pressed. John bemoaned the lack of coordinated efforts by RUSA in the past and proposed speaking with incoming students at their first dorm meetings. Sam regretted the tendency of students not elected to a position in student government on their first try to cease to participate thereafter. He suggested exploring possible alternative roles for those left behind in the future.

QUESTION 2 concerned student frustration with the RUSA Allocations process. Yousef, current RUSA Treasurer, held that all RUSA representatives must learn the processes and be able to communicate with all organizations to reduce confusion. John and Sam both suggested that the allocations process needed to be made more transparent and that allocations meetings and locations should be made more easily available online. In particular, John proposed the implementation of an open budget freely accessible by the public on RUSA’s website. Yousef countered that “the only way the allocations process could be more transparent is if [the budget] were printed on transparent paper.”

QUESTION 3 concerned last semester’s expensive and controversial leadership retreat. Sam openly supported leadership develop events in the future, though regretted the exorbitant price tag of last semester’s event. John found the expense to be “unbearably high,” particularly because such expenditures reflect poorly on RUSA. He suggested that future retreats be held at Rutgers and focus on educating representatives in concrete skills such as writing press releases and organizing constituents. As treasurer, Yousef had been heavily involved in this issue and pointed out that the $20,000 allocated for the event grossly exceeded the actual sum spent by RUSA. He suggested that his involvement in that process was essential to trimming the fat. Yousef and Sam quietly butted heads when in his follow up, Sam failed to recognize the actual cost of the retreat, referring to it by its maximum allocation of $20,000.

QUESTION 4 concerned a recent issue on campus regarding the alma mater. No candidate took a clear stance on the reportedly discriminatory language in the alma matter, agreeing that it was up to the student body to decide. Yousef and Sam both suggested putting the issue to a referendum. Personally, we believe that the alma matter is a frivolous one, and for this reason we don’t find it worth discussing further. Sorry.

QUESTION 5 raised the issue of athletic spending. Candidates agreed that student voices should be taken into account before the University administration undertakes large scale action, such as the stadium’s groundbreaking. Yousef went so far as to say that the University  had “lost its way.” He advocated for increasing the quality of education offered at Rutgers University as the most viable means for long term financial profitability. We agree that academics should be the number one priority of everyone at Rutgers. Football games can be fun for spectators, and sports are a passion shared by many Rutgers students. However, dedicating valuable resources to certain NCAA athletes while ignoring other sports teams and academic needs is not in the best interest of the University as an institution of higher education.

QUESTION 6 pointed out the budget cuts Rutgers will be facing and asked the candidates what they would do to address them. Drawing upon his experiences last week meeting with representatives from Congress, Sam held that talking one on one with the powers that be would accomplish more than any rally would. He said that his experience made him best suited for this kind of intercession. John, who helped organize last week’s rally to combat budget cuts, wants to build a broad coalition of students and alumni from all of New Jersey’s state colleges in order to coordinate statewide action. Yousef, who relies on financial aid, openly pondered whether or not his enrollment next year was guaranteed. Though we don’t assume any political stance on this issue, we would like to note the contrast between the perspectives of Sam and John—Sam wants to work with current administration while John would give the issue a grassroots approach. These contrasting approaches reflect each candidate’s political experience. Sam has worked in the past as a page for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal while John has heavily contributed and campaigned for New Brunswick’s infamous activist group Empower Our Neighborhoods (EON).

QUESTION 7 concerned RUSA’s involvement in community affairs. When pressed on what kind of relationship John Aspray’s administration would have with outside organizations, for example EON, John proposed viewing RUSA as a “hub” for student leaders, furthering student involvement and collaboration. Yousef agreed that RUSA should have a prominent role in the community. In particular he suggested outreach to New Brunswick high school students and other community service endeavors. Vaguely, Sam suggested focusing on the “simple things.”

QUESTION 8 referred to the Rutgers Transportation system. Yousef proposed surveying students on whether or not they would accept a student wide $20 transportation fee in exchange for greater bus frequency. He also proposed bringing Zip Car to New Brunswick as a means for expanding student transportation options. John, in contrast, focused on more green alternatives such as bike rentals and the creation of an intercampus bicycle route. Not to our surprise, Sam suggested opening up communication between students and the administration. He also suggested that a referendum may be in order.

QUESTION 9 vaguely concerned the threatened “traditions and principles” referred to by Sam in a campaign video on his website. Sam wants to hold the administration more accountable for prematurely taking action without properly consulting the student body on issues like the recent consolidation of the graduation ceremonies. John would prefer more intimate graduation ceremonies. He also suggested that traditions come from somewhere and that we should look to the future to create our own traditions. Yousef focused on more obscure traditions that may have been forgotten, such as the breaking of clay pipes upon graduation, the signing of a stone by each class and the milk drinking contest on Cook campus in which he pledged to participate. Interestingly, he expressed the need for all RUSA members to learn the controversial alma mater by heart.

After this first round of questions, audience members were given an absurdly short minute or two to write out questions for the candidates. While Ben and co. sorted out the written public questions, the candidates were given a chance to express themselves however they wanted for three minutes. John’s statement focused on his involvement with EON, the wards campaign and the recent Rutgers United student movement. He asserted the need to engage students via a strong grassroots campaign capable of expressing the as-of-yet nonexistent student voice. Yousef first stated his experiences working as a Resident Assistant, a Community Officer, and with RUSA, making him the “most qualified” candidate. He acknowledged the Rutgers United ticket as a force to be reckoned with, as it boasts 32 of the 47 candidates vying for elected positions in RUSA. He promised to work with every candidate elected, regardless of affiliation. He then listed off several issues issues he plans to address, such as the need for all syllabi to be posted online, more efficient transportation, doctors’ notes from University Health Centers, and the possibility of reaching out to corporations for scholarships and other funds. Sam was the only one to read off of a prewritten statement. Using buzzwords such as “hope” and “change” he asked the voters to elect him as a president interested in “realistic ideas for real change.”

The last segment gave audience members the chance to have their own questions answered. We will discuss some of the more interesting questions asked.

The first question concerned the quality of the resolutions that RUSA passes. John was concerned that the meetings are not run as efficiently as they could be and suggested implementing online resources such as moving RUSA votes online and discussions to internet forums. He also prefers independent action to the collective passing of resolutions. Yousef promised no fluff resolutions on his watch and efficient meetings every time. Sam wants to strengthen his already great relationship with Greg Blimling, RUSA advisor and Vice President of Student Affairs.

Outside catering was another issue, since RUSA limits student organizations to businesses in the Student Center for their catering needs. Yousef memorably stated that “capitalism is dead on campus.” John wants to look into the contracts and made clear that events do not constitute the sum total of the needs of student organizations.

RUSA representatives’ time management was addressed in another question, because representatives have in the past dropped out of RUSA due to academic commitments. John suggested for-credit internships as a means of lightening course loads and strengthening the commitments of RUSA representatives. Sam said that all RUSA representatives must reevaluate their priorities before taking on a position. Yousef said he manages his time well and did not see what the problem was.

The last question we want to look at regarded the fairness of signbacks, the ability for the top 5% of lottery drawers to “sign back” into their previous apartment or residence hall. Interestingly, Sam, Residence Hall Association President, disapproved of the signback policy, in favor of a pure random lottery. John noted the appeal of a pure lottery, but pointed out the academic needs of certain student groups for campus housing, such as SEBS students who work on Cook-Douglass’ farm. Yousef favored a system giving preference to upperclassmen for housing, facilitating what he sees as the natural move from dorms as underclassmen to apartment housing as upperclassmen. Sam, in his follow up, suggested that living on different campuses and in different types of housing diversifies on campus experience. Sam wondered aloud why someone who had to milk a cow at 4 AM could not just drive over to Cook campus.

Looking back on the evening, we are struck by how different the candidates are from one another. Each would bring a unique approach to the RUSA presidency. John, with his background in grassroots activism, advocated for strong solidarity among the student body, engaging issues raised by EON, the Rutgers Student Union and the Rutgers United “movement.” Many of his ideas sound appealing, yet we cannot help but find his hope for a unified student voice to be overly romantic and not entirely realistic. Yousef, more than any other candidate, showed his faith in the ability of RUSA to continue at a steady pace to become the governing body it should be. Considering his substantial experience with RUSA,  it seems likely that a Yousef presidency would not yield radical changes in RUSA policy but rather continue the steady evolution of the organization. Sam, the youngest candidate, sees the key to RUSA’s success as being contingent upon its healthy relationship with the school’s administration and the State’s elected officials. While we refuse to endorse any particular candidate, we can only note that 32 of the 47 candidates running for RUSA this year associate with John Aspray’s Rutgers United ticket, and that a vote for one of the other two candidates could serve to counterbalance this disproportionate political sway. Considering the wide divide between candidates, we hope for a great turn out for this election, but we can only expect the worst.

Once again, to vote, visit http://rusaelections.webs.com/.