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Difference in SGA candidates show at debate, full recording airing Wednesday

By Sarah Schuch on April 7, 2010 7:12 am in University / 34 comments

 

Student Government Association presidential candidate Brittany Mouzourakis boldly called out her opponent during a debate Tuesday, saying he was lying and misleading.

“Evan, it is great to have the opportunity to meet in person, so I can actually defend myself from your blatant lies you have used to try and win yourself votes,” the current SGA vice president said. “You have inflated SGA stipends in a desperate attempt to create hysteria and rally votes. You have made preposterous claims to lower tuition, when in fact, you have no proposal for actually doing so.”

She continued by noting Agnello, a Troy junior, said he had a combined three years experience, when actually he had joined the House this semester and has been consistently absent, she said.

Agnello responded by saying he is ready to bring change in leadership.

“Over the course of this campaign I believe I have proved two things — that we need new leadership, and that I’m definitely up for the challenge,” he said. “The last administration allowed all sorts of shenanigans, anything from the budget to the tailgating.

“As student government president I will work toward lowering tuition costs, ending wasteful SGA bonuses, and restoring tailgate back to its former glory.”

Mouzourakis, a Garden City senior, was joined by her vice president candidate, Muskegon senior Dave Breed. Jessica Richard, Agnello’s vice president candidate and a Highland junior, did not attend.

The most controversial topic was on SGA stipends. The two candidates were on opposite ends of the spectrum.

If listening:

What: SGA Debate
When: 9 p.m.
Listen to: Modern Rock 91.5 WMHW-FM

Mouzourakis believes the stipends for SGA executive board members are important to make sure those who are financially in need have the same opportunities for a government position as those who are well off.

“It is important that the economically elite on campus do not become the politically elite on campus,” Mouzourakis said.

Agnello said he believes the stipends are a horrible idea and they need to go.

“I feel they are ridiculous. SGA is supposed to serve the students. That’s exactly what it should be — a service to the students,” he said.

Agnello said accepting stipends is accepting money from the administration, which is a conflict of interest.

Other topics discussed included open communication between SGA and the student body, positions on the proposed 3, 6 and 9 percent budget cuts and the candidates’ thoughts on creating a smoke-free campus— the only topic on which Agnello and Mouzourakis agreed. They said a smoke-free campus is beneficial to the campus community.

Voting ends at noon Sunday. Students can vote at vote.cmich.edu.

Full debate aired tonight

The debate will air on Modern Rock 91.5 WMHW-FM at 9 p.m. today.

Agnello hopes a debate like this will become a growing trend with SGA.

“I think it’s about time a neutral third party steps in to hold such a debate,” he said.

Jake Neher, news director for 91.5, moderated the debate and felt it was important to get both candidates’ perspectives out to the student body.

The questions were mostly focused on SGA’s relationship with other students, the Bloomfield Hills senior said. There were a couple of fairly specific questions on university policy, as well.

Agnello said he is more concerned with the subjects that directly affect students.

“If you want your tailgate back, vote for Agnello and Richard,” he said.

The radio version of the debate will be virtually the same as if students heard it the day it happened.

“(It is) just the debate 24 hours later,” Neher said. “We will not edit or alter anything the candidates say.”

 

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  • Tony

    “Airs at 9pm today”

    The article was written on the 6th, but the paper is printed on the 7th.

    So was it tonight (the 6th) or is it tomorrow (the 7th)?

  • Tony

    “Airs at 9pm today”

    The article was written on the 6th, but the paper is printed on the 7th.

    So was it tonight (the 6th) or is it tomorrow (the 7th)?

  • debate observer

    How rude of the current Vice President to say those things. Speak about the issues stop name calling. It is like she is in the forth grade. It is really embarrassing to have an SGA leader that acts like a youngster. At least one candidate took that high road. Agnello was the bigger person in this debate.

  • Alice

    Haha! Evan take the high road?!? That is the funniest thing I have heard in a while. Evan is the one that is trying to make it look like SGA is filled with a bunch of thief and lairs. The “bonuses” and all the claims that SGA is not fair and blah blah blah. Also, lets not even begin to point out how Evan has continue to break the rules of campaigning. Example: Handing out fliers in the residence halls without getting the fliers approved by the campaign officials or residence life like it is required. Evan can not even follow simple rules of campaigning. If anyone is acting like a youngster it is Evan and his followers that cry about how things are not fair and all this mudslinging but they are the ones that have gotten away with things. Lets not forget Evan's website with the other candidates picture with their eyes blacked out. These same pictures he distributed at the start of his campaign. The SGA VP is reacting to how Evan has acted this whole campaign… if he is going to say untrue things and play childish games he should except people to react…

    I give the current SGA VP props for standing up for herself and SGA and not letting Evan continue to dirty her name, her running mates name, and SGA…

    and maybe you should see the actual debate before you determine who is the bigger person and who would make a good leader…that is kinda the point of a debate…

  • Alice

    it is the 7th b/c this article is printed in wed paper

  • Debate Observer 2

    They wrote it as if you already had the paper in your hand, albeit it is vague. The airing is Wednesday April 7th at 9pm.

  • Marx

    Britanny sounds like a communist, a radical, when she talks about the economic and politically elite. Come on … I think she spends too much time with nutty leftist professors.

  • Jerry S

    For someone who is so concerned about sustainability, Mouzourakis / Breed sure do put a lot of fliers up in un-designated areas, that janitors will have to throw away anyways. I think the name calling in particular comes from their side. Evan has been nothing but fair, doing the job of the Elections Committee for them, by organizing a third-party debate.

  • Alice

    Question for everyone: Lets say voting for the US president was on-line. Do you think it is fair for the President and the VP to go up to people with a computer and tell them to vote for them as they are standing there with a computer? Do you believe the voter is allow to remain anonymous with this new way of voting?

  • Frank

    You're right, she should be more concerned about tailgating like the frat boy.

  • Manaia

    I do not think that is fair at all…I wouldn’t want to future President or VP to be standing over my shoulder when I vote…i think there would be unfair influences on you to vote and not keep it secrete. It would also make it hard to not vote if you didn’t want to with the candidate standing there telling you to vote for them.

    I think there is a reason for people to be allowed to remain secrete and who they vote for to be kept private. Or its a persons choice not to have to vote and to be free from unwanted influences. I mean could you imagine if you went to the polls and someone was in the booth with you as you voted…must less one of the candidates…its just not right…

  • Ghostly Greg

    Since Agnello has already lowered the standard of this election by basing his entire campaign off of insults, I think a classic elementary school excuse is applicable here.
    “He started it” :-0

  • Isabella

    I know I want a leader of my student body main goal to be that students should get to party and drink more…I love that goal…CMU can be taken seriously with goals like that! Thank goodness we have someone that sees how drinking and partying before a football game will make CMU a better institution of higher learning! I didn't think that someone would actually make the connection to having tailgate back and making CMU a place to get a quality education. I mean I personally know when I picked CMU I made sure that it provided a sufficient party and tailgate atmosphere and now that its gone I am soooo glad that we have a SGA candate that wants to make it one of his main goals to bring it back…

    who cares about all that other stuff when we can party!!! YAY

  • Joe J

    Why does it seems that all the CHARACTER ATTACKS are coming from those in SGA?

  • Rose

    I believe that the fliers are in a designated areas. Can you please state where they are posted where they are not allowed to be. Also I believe Evan passed out fliers to all of the residence halls without permission which is a violation of not only the election rules but also the Residence Hall Rules in which could subject Evan to disqualification. Furthermore, you are assuming that the janitors do not recycle all of the papers that are pinned up to the bulletin boards around campus. These are the same janitors that collect the recycling around the buildings so how do you know they do not recycle the papers. I have personally witnessed janitors cleaning class rooms and putting the bottles and papers in the appropriate bins. Either way at least Mouzourakis/ Breed have environmental goals…Evan would rather have people party in a parking lot and leave it trashed for other people to pick up. Sure the cans get collected for money but have you seen the mess tailgating leaves…yeah that is a way to help our environment!

  • Joe J

    Someone's angry they're losing…

  • Joe J

    moot question, you don't for president that way

  • Tanner_P

    To begin, she did no such thing of name calling, everything she said was the truth. Evan is a liar and he has lied through his entire campaign. She has every right to defend herself against the blatant lies and personal attacks that have come from the Agnello campaign. Every answer that Miss Mouzourakis gave during the debate answered the questions and spoke of the issues asked. She and her running mate are the only ones who are truly in this campaign for the students. Evan just wants to make this campus a giant drunk fest during the football season, that's pretty pathetic to have that as your number one goal for your campaign.

  • Jamie D

    Notice how everyone supporting Brittany keeps repeating the same false talking points, that Evan wants to turn CMU into a drunk fest. If those aren't cold hearted character attacks and scare tactics, I don't know what are.

  • Aaron

    I’m sick of all this – it’s the same repeated bickering. Everyone calls everyone else a liar, commenters say everything is a lie, etc. Is anything simply a fact? This is why I am not involved in politics at all – nothing is ever simply agreed upon and completed. If I had the power to do so, I’d appoint both of them as president. It’s not like only one of them could contribute to CMU.

  • Tanner_P

    What we're all saying isn't false. He wants to create an unsafe tailgate once again. “Restoring” tailgate shouldn't be the number one goal of a campaign. He needs to have a number one goal that will do something for all students and benefit the University in some way.

  • Let's be real here

    I agree with Frank and Isabella. A good person for president is someone who doesn't listen to the people (how many times did it show during the year that the students were not reacting to the tailgating well….or that it was bashed in a well read magazine seen in various countries?) SGA really hasn't done tons of campus changing things….what getting a sound systems back?
    I mean let's look at the people who are against evan like Frank, having to lower himself to having to use the word “frat boy” to put someone down. Good thing Evan isn't black cause I'm sure ol' Franky would have been dropping the N bomb.

  • Marx

    I just listened to the debate. I wonder if CM Life is re-thinking its endorsement of Brittany. She made a fool of herself, disgraced SGA and embarrassed the school.

  • John

    So if Evan is elected he's going to walk into Heeke's Office and demand that tailgating be brought back exactly how it used to be? I loved the old tailgate but let's not act like Evan is going to magically get athletics to change their mind. And after Evan demands tailgate changes of Heeke, he's going to demand the Board lower tuition when the state Senate has already proposed cutting higher education funding. I almost hope Evan wins and can't wait to hear the excuses when a year later tailgate rules are the same and tuition is raised again this summer.

  • Jamie D

    I'm glad everyone got to see the real Brittany at the debate: no solutions, just attacks.

  • Aaron

    Can you download it somewhere?

  • Chris

    Look I love tailgating! Its great but I also care about other issues too. I mean we all know the tuition is not going anywhere. Let's be real. All I am saying is that despite the name calling and the whatever…Evans platform is just weak. Ending SGA payment doesn't help me as a student, getting tailgating back is not likely going to happen and if it does how does that make CMU a better school and better for my education. With this economy we are going to pay more for tuition and not less. I have heard both sides and it seems that the Brittany's platform at least is creative and looks and doing new and different things to improve our campus. Diversity is very important and I think there is lots of room to improve that on this campus. Environmental issues are big today and I am glad to see that they are addressing things to make CMU more green and things along those lines. Trying to keep retention rates up is also important to keeping students at CMU and keeping money coming into CMU. Furthermore the idea of legal aid for students is very creative. Also working closely with administration is important if you want to get things done on Campus.

    Its not that Evan is a bad guy or that Brittnay is a good girl. Its simply that the goals on one side are more creative, more obtainable, and more beneficial to CMU over all then Evan is.

    So that is it…the platforms speak for themselves and I think Brittany has to take this one…

  • Isabella

    EVAN for President…He will make sure that we get to drink again and party it up just like CMU is known for! Yay! Who needs to be taken seriously as an academic university when you can make sure your school gets in magazines for being great at partying! Good times…I can't wait to have it the way it used to be with all the drunks and under age drinking…its gonna be great! Lets do this!

    PS
    Let's be real here- what is with the the reference to if Evan was black in the above comment…what does that have to do with anything at all…very irrelevant statement…

  • Tony

    I’ve seen plenty of janitors throw recycling bin stuff into their garbage with everything else – and most of those posters can’t technically be recycled efficiently; there is way too much ink on them.

  • Tanner_P

    Maybe you should pay attention and not be an ill-informed voter and screw over the rest of the campus.

  • Tanner_P

    She didn't make a fool of herself. She finally got the chance to defend herself against the false allegations brought forth by the Agnello campaign. Evan is scared to show his face around her because he knows hes going to be caught in a lie and thats exactly what happened during the debate

  • Andrew Neal

    You can listen to the full debate on the Modern Rock News page on Facebook. I was one of the two moderators of the debate.

  • Aaron

    You mean pay attention to everyone calling everyone else a liar?
    Everyone is always ill-informed to some degree – You should know that.

  • http://www.regroup.com/ lsoft – change TBD

    Difference in SGA candidates is very helpful and we are Supporting and managing communications – both internally and externally – is imperative.If you're not supporting communications, you're not supporting your organization.
    thanks