2008 Woodie Awards
Student Government presidential nominees face off
FirstClass voting closes on Monday evening at 5 p.m.
Eryk Salvaggio
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: News
Candidates for president of Student Government faced off Thursday in a bid to explain their campaigns to voters - most of whom were not in attendance.
To a crowd consisting largely of supporters-as evidenced by the cheering-one candidate acknowledged on stage that he would likely be speaking to most undecided voters through a television screen, as the debate was being filmed for broadcast for The Maine Channel.
Since the two candidates wrote their own questions before the debate, few opportunities existed for either candidate to break out of their established platform positions. Instead, the candidates advanced nuts-andbolts solutions they believed would tackle the everyday issues of students.
In regards to student tuition, incumbent President William Pomerleau spoke of "small steps" that could be taken to save students money, such as encouraging professors to order books earlier, which he said could save University of Maine students a collective $60,000 a year.
Candidate and current senator, Sean Rankin, would tackle textbook prices through legislation. Though an earlier bill co-authored by Rankin to lower tuition did not make it to the floor of the Maine State Representatives, he is again working with Rep. Gary Moore, a republican from Standish, to eliminate taxes on textbooks.
"Lowering tuition costs directly is harder - lowering the costs of textbooks is a small way of doing this," Rankin said.
On the issue of parking congestion, Pomerleau advanced his small-steps platform by noting that professors and faculty were currently allowed to park in student and commuter lots, while student's weren't. "I understand that professors need to work," Pomerleau said, "but students also need to get to class."
Rankin advocated for a re-arrangement of current parking zones to make better use of available space, as many students are forced to walk long distances when the centralized lots fill up.
The candidates disagreed on whether or not they would implement a plan proposed by former SG President Priyanth Chandrasakar, which would assign a dollar value to meal swipes. Pomerleau said the idea proved not to be feasible at other universities, but Rankin asserted it could work at UMaine.
To a crowd consisting largely of supporters-as evidenced by the cheering-one candidate acknowledged on stage that he would likely be speaking to most undecided voters through a television screen, as the debate was being filmed for broadcast for The Maine Channel.
Since the two candidates wrote their own questions before the debate, few opportunities existed for either candidate to break out of their established platform positions. Instead, the candidates advanced nuts-andbolts solutions they believed would tackle the everyday issues of students.
In regards to student tuition, incumbent President William Pomerleau spoke of "small steps" that could be taken to save students money, such as encouraging professors to order books earlier, which he said could save University of Maine students a collective $60,000 a year.
Candidate and current senator, Sean Rankin, would tackle textbook prices through legislation. Though an earlier bill co-authored by Rankin to lower tuition did not make it to the floor of the Maine State Representatives, he is again working with Rep. Gary Moore, a republican from Standish, to eliminate taxes on textbooks.
"Lowering tuition costs directly is harder - lowering the costs of textbooks is a small way of doing this," Rankin said.
On the issue of parking congestion, Pomerleau advanced his small-steps platform by noting that professors and faculty were currently allowed to park in student and commuter lots, while student's weren't. "I understand that professors need to work," Pomerleau said, "but students also need to get to class."
Rankin advocated for a re-arrangement of current parking zones to make better use of available space, as many students are forced to walk long distances when the centralized lots fill up.
The candidates disagreed on whether or not they would implement a plan proposed by former SG President Priyanth Chandrasakar, which would assign a dollar value to meal swipes. Pomerleau said the idea proved not to be feasible at other universities, but Rankin asserted it could work at UMaine.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
dward
posted 12/04/07 @ 6:51 AM EST
that was some pretty subjective writing. is the author trying to obscure his vendetta with pomerleau?
Post a Comment