Collegiate Times

With the 2006-2007 SGA election campaign coming to a head, the candidates from the askSGA ticket stood before roughly 50 of their peers in Squires Colonial Hall last night for the annual debate.

The ticket, headed by presidential candidate James Tyger, junior human resources management major focused his opening remarks around fixing what he described as a ?disconnect between the SGA and the student body.?

?First, we'd need a student government screenname. Next, a dropbox in both academic halls and dining facilities around campus so that we can field concerns that (students) are dealing with. Third, we want an open-door policy for the SGA office - you should be able to come in at any time of the day and have us answer your questions,? Tyger said.

The presidential hopeful and his vice presidential counterpart, Sarah Saxton, junior marketing management major, then fielded questions from a two-person panel of student senators Jon-Claude Simms, senior computer science major, and Dawn South, senior communication and political science major.

Simms repeatedly pressed Tyger on issues of diversity and affirmative actions, questions which Tyger responded to with an emphasis on the principles of community.

?Looking at the university is very similar to looking at a business, trying to bring people together from all areas. When you're trying to bring people together, you try to bring people from different backgrounds because we all bring different things to the table ? we need to allow people who don't have the opportunity to go to college (due to economic circumstances) to go,? said Tyger.

In relation to diversity within the SGA, Saxton remarked on the need to build relationships across student groups.

?Part of the strength of student government in the coming year will be through alliances with other ucso's (university chartered student organizations) ? part of my job will be to go out and work on those relationships,? Saxton said.

Tyger responded to the question of whether the SGA was seen as an elitist institution by stressing the efforts by the governing body to get all students involved.

?We're trying to get freshmen involved. I got involved on a fluke. I happened to have a friend who told me to try SGA my freshman year. I think that that's really a problem, that a lot of people get involved with near-coincidences,? and so they are reaching out to try to incorporate as many students as possible, Tyger said.

While the debate was often amicable - the groups lauded each other frequently and disagreed only mildly on a few issues, including a proposed green fee - Kevin Denny, senior computer science major, wanted a little bit more from both parties.

?It wasn't what I expected ? I wish they had more ideas for actually implementing their ideas. I have to give them props, though, they were up there answering everything,? said Denny, who was defeated in his run for SGA president last year by current president Sumeet Bagai.