The United Party of Students is running for more transparency in Student Government against Students for Change in the April 6 and 7 elections.

Mark Olendzki, candidate for student vice president for student affairs, said his party wants to reach out to students.

“We want to go out to students, especially outside of elections,” he said. “We want to be involved in other organizations and to help them. We want to listen.”

Olendzki and Eric Wilber, incumbent student executive vice president, outlined the party’s main platforms.

Wilber would work with the Office of Student Community Service and local businesses to improve community relationships with students through volunteering.

He said by being the student representative to the Charleston City Council, he knows how many students do not know what Charleston has to offer. He said community service would make students more visible.

The second platform is making sure all incoming students will be informed about EIU Campus Emergency Notification System procedures and the Alert EIU text program.

The party’s third platform is fostering a clear line for real communication with student organizations and improved Internet presentation. Olendzki wants to create a database of student organization profiles to supplement the present database.

The last point is improving Student Government’s Web site by providing updated agendas, minutes, bylaws and resolutions, roll call votes, and reinstating the online grievance program.

United Party for Students has 11 members, with six members competing for Student Senate. Tiffany Turner, one of its senate candidates, plans on running for Student Senate speaker.

“Experience with Student Government and making a difference was some criteria for asking senators and executives to join,” Wilber said. “We wanted the best student senators on our party according to what they did during the semester.”

Olendzki said the party is selective in choosing senators because the party would rather have a short list of strong senators instead of running with some weak senators to uphold its reputation.

Five students are running for executive offices.

They are Michelle Murphy for student body president, Jose Alarcon for student vice president for academic affairs, Tyson Holder for student vice president for business affairs, Olendzki and Wilber.

The United Party of Students had a party caucus to decide who was running for the executive positions. Traditionally, parties will form with executives and recruit senators.

“We all came together and each auditioned for a position,” Olendzki said. “The party voted to supported each candidate with no one feeling excluded toward a position.”

Murphy, who is a first year senator, was chosen in this process.

“We were looking at her for a while,” Olendzki said. “What impressed us was when there was a vote for ending discussion on the floor and there were still people on the list to speak, she never voted to close discussion and silence their voice. I think that she is very open.”

Wilber said she has the organizational and marketing skills Student Government has been lacking.

One of Olendzki’s campaign platforms is gaining a LGBT Resource Center on campus. He said he would do everything to get this done, whether it is talking to administration, Coles County, Charleston City Council or Springfield.

Wilber said he would continue to support lobbying for the Renewable Energy Center next year. Turner and Alarcon have also helped Wilber by going to Springfield to lobby.

Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].