ASUN candidates discuss foremost issues in first debate

Cookies and cupcakes were available, but for the group of students assembled in the Nebraska Union Crib Sunday afternoon, the reason they were there was all business.

Candidates from the Party of Hope and Change, CONCRETE and CONNECT parties took the stage in the first debate of the 2009 Association of Students of the University of Nebraska election race. The student election is March 4.

All three of CONNECT's candidates attended the event, as did CONCRETE's two candidates, while only one of three candidates from the Party of Hope and Change made it to the debate.

CONCRETE is running a slate of a presidential and internal vice presidential candidate. CONCRETE's original external vice presidential candidate, freshman music and political science major Zach Smith, was eliminated from the race when he failed to gather the needed number of signatures, and a student's ID number was found missing on his list of signatures.

Andrew Lacy, a sophomore broadcasting major, of the Party of Hope and Change said he "didn't know" where his external vice presidential candidate, sophomore business major HoWai Ng, was. Internal vice presidential candidate Nick Goodwin, a sophomore advertising major, was "off campus," possibly at church, Lacy said.

From behind three podiums, candidates delivered two-minute opening and closing statements and answered questions from the audience and from university groups sponsoring the event. Time was also allotted for 30-second rebuttals.

Questions from the debate's sponsors – the Justin Smith Morrill Scholars Organization, political science honor society Pi Sigma Alpha, the Residence Hall Association and UNL Young Democrats – targeted hot-button issues on campus: Proposition 424, trayless dining, campus green practices and a student fee referendum to finance major campus building and renovation projects.

CONNECT presidential candidate Megan Collins, a senior business administration major, answered a question on the future of UNL's diversity in light of Proposition 424, the affirmative action ban Nebraska voters passed in November, by recounting Chancellor Harvey Perlman's recent trips to India and China to expand UNL's global connections. She also mentioned ASUN's diversity committee.

After meeting with UNL officials, such as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Juan Franco, "It came to be apparent that there will be changes," Collins said, "but they won't be limiting."

The Party of Hope and Change presidential candidate Lacy began answering the question by stating that he voted for the ban, and then quoted Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech.

"This is a diverse campus and will remain so," Lacy said. "I'm more interested in intellectual diversity."

Lacy also took the current ASUN administration to task for what he termed "intellectual prostitution," as "going along with what everyone else tells them to."

If elected, the Party of Hope and Change would go line by line through ASUN's budget and cut out what it deems unnecessary, Lacy said.

Erik Mellgren, a junior engineering major and CONCRETE's presidential candidate, found fault with the question about maintaining diversity.

"It assumes we are already diverse," Mellgren said.

Mellgren said the amendment could "destroy" UNL, and he would push for ASUN's Government Liaison Committee to lobby for overturning 424.

Both CONCRETE and CONNECT expressed support for the Campus Wellness Referendum, which would increase student fees to support renovation of Campus Recreation Centers and the University Health Center.

Lacy said he doesn't support the fee increase because the renovations wouldn't affect him directly.

On the issue of expanded recycling on campus, CONCRETE and CONNECT voiced support, while The Party of Hope and Change remained critical.

Brian Coburn, CONNECT's internal vice presidential candidate and junior biochemistry major, lauded the efforts of ASUN volunteers and paid ROTC members in collecting recyclable items during UNL football games.

"That's not telling people what to do," Coburn said, responding to Lacy. "That's a wise use of resources."

A student-submitted question quizzed candidates on their political knowledge, asking which bill currently in the Nebraska Legislature could affect students the most.

Hannah Ledford, CONCRETE's internal vice presidential nominee and junior international studies major, said she firmly supports legislation that would allow same-day voting registration. CONNECT's Collins voted against assigning ASUN's Government Liaison Committee to lobby for the bill in an ASUN Senate meeting, Ledford noted.

"For the life of me, I can't understand why. Quite frankly, it would be very good for college students," Ledford said. "I certainly support it and it should be reintroduced next year."

Ledford acknowledged that some have questioned how seriously CONCRETE is taking the election. Ledford told students about working in the Nebraska Legislature for two years as a page and allowed running mate Mellgren to the podium to expand on his leadership experience: president of the UNL Young Democrats, a treasurer in Neihardt Council and resident assistant in Selleck Residence Hall.

Robert Woodward, a junior computer science and math major who posed questions for the Residence Hall Association, said he's undecided on who to vote for.

"I think it'll come down to the few days before the election," Woodward said. "The biggest problem will be getting people to vote."

renaeblum@dailynebraskan.com