Candidates to debate

Today, the student government’s executive branch hopefuls will debate each other before the campus-wide election.

The election commission committee along with the Director of Student Life Ceci Brinker decided that in the interest of time, it would be best to only allow the student body president and the student executive vice president candidates to debate each other.

Bobbie Mitchell, a senior communication studies major, is the director of the election commission and the debate moderator.

“There aren’t very many debate-worthy questions for the other offices,” Mitchell said. “We wanted to have enough time to do everything without wasting people’s time.”

The three remaining positions, the student vice presidents of academic affairs, student affairs and business affairs will be given two minutes each to define their platforms and tell what they think they could bring to the positions.

Student Body President Michelle Murphy, a senior communication studies major, has participated in two of the student government election debates.

“In the past it’s just been excruciatingly long but this one I think will only last about an hour and a half,” Murphy said.

Mitchell was also the moderator for the last student executive debate at the beginning of the semester which resulted in Christy Anderson being voted the student executive vice president.

“I want things to be more mature this time,” Mitchell said. “Last time there were a lot of personal (jabs).”

The student executive vice president position will once again be filled by the end of this semester.

Senate Speaker Jarrod Scherle and Eastern student Brad Saribekian are the two students vying for Anderson’s position.

The election commission has prepared questions for both the candidates.

“We want to be able to entertain as much as we educate,” Mitchell said. “I hope a lot of people come out for this debate.”

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812

or [email protected].