Political hopefuls contending for student votes entered the homestretch of their campaigns this morning when the voting window opened for the Student Government runoff election. Students can vote through their PAWS account between 7 a.m. and 9:59 p.m. today in the culmination of more than a month of campaigning. SG presidential candidates Dixon McMakin and Colorado Robertson went into a runoff after neither candidate claimed a vote majority in the general election. Senate Speaker Robertson and his running mate Shannon Bates of “The Foundation” received the plurality with 48.7 percent of the vote, while SG Director of Athletics McMakin and his running mate Kristen Oaks of “Vision 2008” finished with 45.9 percent. SG presidential and vice presidential candidates are not the only ones going head-to-head in round two. Students hoping to serve SG through other positions are also fighting for students’ votes. Curtis White of “Vision 2008” and Aaron Phipps of “The Foundation” will compete to serve as University Court justice. The winner will work with University Court Justices Jessica Chatelain and Parker Maxwell, who ran on the “Vision 2008” ticket and won the student vote in the general election. All University Court justices are required to denounce their ticket affiliation once they accept the position. Caroline Barnes of “The Foundation” and Kat Ingram of “Vision 2008” are vying for treasurer of the Manship School of Mass Communication in today’s runoff. Joe Coussan of “The Foundation” will go up against Michael Laborde of “Vision 2008” for Manship College Council president. One initiative of Dixon-Oaks’ “Vision 2008” ticket aims to provide students with a syllabus database for all classes on PAWS. If the database is implemented, students will know exactly what teachers require for each class before scheduling. “Vision 2008” also wants to publicize teacher evaluations on PAWS. McMakin said student reception to both ideas has been positive. Dixon-Oaks also promises to improve student life by encouraging the University College Center for Freshman Year to hire a weekend counselor and pushing for the University Student Recreational Complex to set up a non-Tiger Card admission system. McMakin said he wants to see a fingerprint scan system implemented. Other “Vision 2008” goals include limiting the number of broadcast e-mails, lobbying the state Legislature for textbook tax exemptions and implementing a free DVD and calculator rental program in Middleton Library. McMakin said sponsorship money raised during the summer would most likely fund the rental program, not student fees. “We will allocate about $5,000 to the library, and a group of students will select DVDs over the summer that they deem will be high picks of the student body,” McMakin said. “Students will be able to go to the library and check out a DVD just like a book and get a three-day rental.” Robertson-Bates’ “The Foundation” has plans to save students an estimated $3.3 million if elected. But some students wonder how this will be possible, including SG President Cassie Alsfeld. “To say that one can say that a president and vice president can save students millions of dollars is … misleading and reckless,” Alsfeld said. “We’d all love to save students money in this role, and we try, but it’s hard to when the University is trying to move forward.” Robertson said he has already spoken with the state Legislature about the feasibility of its tax exemption programs for textbooks and meal plans. He said if the Legislature eliminated the textbook sales tax, it would result in approximately $2,520,000 in savings. He said, in theory, if a student purchased $500 worth of textbooks, they would save $45 if the 9 percent sales tax were eliminated. Robertson’s “The Foundation” also wants to renew the tax exemption for meal plans before it expires. “We want to keep that program in operation and extend it to Tiger Cash and Paw Points,” Robertson said. Though “The Foundation” push cards call for a “public feeding of Mike,” Robertson said the wording may not be indicative of a compromise he reached with Mike VI’s attending veterinarian, Dr. David Baker. “We had come to a consensus that while a live public feeding at Mike’s habitat was likely not going to happen … an online viewing of Mike’s feeding had potential,” Robertson said. Other “Foundation” initiatives include offering free hot chocolate and snow cones to students during finals week, free rain ponchos and a $250, no-questions-asked student loan. While both tickets may be seeking to lobby the state Legislature for textbook tax exemptions, students can expect to see other parallel goals regardless of who wins in the election – including efforts to extend wireless access to the University’s residence halls. Robertson plans to extend wireless to the Greek community as well. SG Vice President Josh King said though the majority of each ticket’s issues are possible, he said some seem infeasible. While McMakin said he plans to lobby state Legislature for textbook tax breaks, Robertson is guaranteeing a 9 percent tax exemption. “All the money [Robertson] says he will save, he is banking on other people saving,” King said. “He is leaning on the Legislature to do something for him.” Alsfeld said SG has been striving for textbook tax exemptions since before her administration and is still working on the initiative. “I actually lobbied for reforms at both the state capitol and in Washington,” Alsfeld said. “It’s a bigger issue that I’m still working on, as are the legislative staffs.” King said he does not foresee wireless access in the Greek community. “I’ve already tried,” he said. But King said Roberton’s plans to give students “free” items are very feasible if he collects sponsor money to fund the initiatives. Another concern King has revolves around McMakin’s plans to implement a fingerprint scan system at the UREC. He said McMakin could see a backlash from students because of privacy reasons. McMakin and Oaks said all of their issues are feasible and will become a reality – something Oaks says makes “Vision 2008” distinctly different from “The Foundation.” “We have spoken to administrators, experts and officials with each and every issue we have – and we have already accomplished some of our issues. They can’t say that,” Oaks said. “Several of ‘The Foundation’ [tickets] issues have been disproved and shot down by the administration – live feedings of the Mike the Tiger, wireless in Greek houses. We are not making promises we can’t deliver, and unlike our opponents we will never lie to the student body.” Robertson and Bates asserted the issues on their platform are possible. Robertson said he combined the brainstorming efforts of “The Foundation” ticket’s candidates with input from a wide variety of students to determine which issues they would push. “We’ve spoken with the relevant authorities and administrators on each of those issues, and the ones you see on the push cards are the ones we feel are feasible,” Robertson said. “We are confident through our own experience and in speaking with administrators that we are capable of completing each of our goals.”
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]