Presidential candidates face off in campus issues during tonight's debate


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Sean Proctor/Staff Photographer Vince Cavatio, left, and his vice presidential candidate Bryant English, participated in the presidential debate Tuesday afternoon with Robert Brooks and vice presidential candidate Colleen McNeely.

Student Government Association presidential candidates Vincent Cavataio and Robert Brooks touched on the decision-making ability and authority of SGA on campus in tonight's debate.

Cavataio, a Shelby Township senior, is running with Jackson junior Bryant English. Grand Blanc junior Brooks' running mate is Brighton sophomore Colleen McNeely. The four spoke about proposals and opinions concerning prominent campus issues.

SGA Elections Director Kristin O'Brien felt either pair would make successful SGA executives.

"I've known both for a long time and they are both driven people," the Fremont senior said. "It is going to be a heated race because they are both really good."

After each contender was introduced, the candidates were asked five questions prepared by the elections committee, followed by four questions posed to and from the candidates, O'Brien said. The debate ended with open questions from the public.

Mediator Ian Moloney, a Prudenville junior, directed questions to each candidate and allowed for one-minute rebuttals.

Cavataio and Brooks detailed how they plan to work with administration to keep tuition down.

"We plan on speaking to the administration directly and speaking to the student body," Cavataio said. "We want to find out from students what they find unnecessary expenses and where they think there can be cuts."

Brooks responded by saying they would serve as a monitor to make sure there is no unnecessary spending by the administration.

McNeely said she wants civic participation.

"We want to provide direct access for students to go to Lansing and voice their opinion on state allocations," McNeely said.

Cavataio said he wants the school to offer the necessary programs to welcome diverse students to campus.

"SGA is not a diversity programming institute and we don't want to take away from the institutes on campus that help provide those programs," McNeely said.

Other topics included how to make for a more sustainable campus, how to connect students and administration and what the plan is for the construction of a unicameral assembly.

Brooks and McNeely said they want to create an off-campus recycling program and a bike-share program with limited funding.

"A bike-share program will make a number of university-owned bikes available to students at no cost to help ease the cost of driving while benefitting the environment," Brooks said. "We also want to use SGA as a vehicle to expand recycling to apartments."

Cavataio and English focused on making student voices heard and improving the prominence and authority of SGA on campus.

"SGA is not very relevant to the student body on campus," Cavataio said. "So we first want to make SGA relevant and then build a platform of people who are interested."

English wants students to come to them and tell them how they feel and what they want.

Voting begins Monday and ends April 7 at noon.

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