Campus residents can choose between impact or experience in the Residence Hall Association presidential elections today.
For the first time in three years there are two tickets campaigning for the RHA presidency.
Political science sophomores Warren Quirett and Staci Borel and their ticket, “The Impact,” will oppose psychology juniors David Dessauer and Cassidy England’s “The Experience” campaign. Both tickets presented Tuesday evening at a candidate forum in RHA’s weekly meeting.
The elected ticket will replace president Amy Scales and vice president Denelle Walker who are graduating this spring.
The future president and vice president will have to help RHA endure recent budget cuts – and possibly more in the near future. The tickets also share a concern for some of the same issues, notably the Residential Life visitation policies for residence halls and in the East and West Campus apartments.
The current visitation policy calls for all members of the opposite sex to leave residence halls by 1 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.
Both tickets acknowledged their interest in establishing a 24-hour visitation policy but said their proposed policies will take different approaches.
“Obviously the 24-hour visitation process is not going to happen overnight,” Quirett said, and noted that the new policy must be approved by Res Life, the LSU Board of Directors and the Louisiana state legislature. “I would say [it will take] a timeline of at least two years.”
Quirett said he would start the program in a few upperclassmen residence halls and look at the response.
“We did a lot of research and a majority of the schools that hold the Flagship Agenda have 24-hour visitation,” he said. “A lot of students have wanted this.”
But Dessauer said the 24-hour visitation would be closer to a 10-year process.
“This University only got co-ed housing a few years ago and is not ready for that type of move,” he said. “Our problem with the visitation policy is that it’s not student-focused. Lots of people are up [late] studying with their boyfriends or girlfriends. We’re asking to push it back just an hour, and that one hour will be the fight of our lives.”
Quirett’s “Impact” also focuses on establishing a 24-hour nursing shift on campus, a carpet and room accessory rental service for campus residents and extending the hours of the dining halls.
Quirett and Borel said they also want to establish a laundry plan similar to meal plans, which would allow residents to specify the number of laundry loads they want on their plan at the beginning of the year.
“The Impact” expects to see some results by the beginning of the fall semester, Quirett and Borel said.
“Our primary focus is changes for the residents,” Borel said. “When they come to school next year, they’ll see a carpet program and a laundry program in the works. It’s not all going to be done.
Dessauer and England stressed their veteran status with RHA as a key facet of their campaign.
“It’s called ‘The Experience’ because combined we have six years of experience in RHA,” Dessauer said.
England said “The Experience” ticket will not promise immediate results.
“We know that with our policies we want to implement we’ll be laying groundwork for several years,” she said.
Like “Impact,” Dessauer’s administration would also focus primarily on the residents.
“Our agenda is focused on the residents – each and every resident,” he said. “As it stands, the resident’s voice is unheard in RHA.”
“The Experience” members said they intend to look at altering quiet hours in campus housing, possibly providing permanently quiet lodging for interested students.
Dessauer said he also wants to look into improving the new Campus Housing Contract Renewal process Res Life implemented Monday.
“It was a good step by Res Life, but I think they need more input,” he said. “People who want to live together should be able to live together. That should be the focus of the contract renewal process, not random scrambling for numbers.”
Thaddeus Richardson, political science sophomore and RHA West Campus Director, said both tickets have strong stances.
“It’s going to be a hard decision,” he said. “The election is going to come down to whoever can do the most for the residents.”
Students can vote online on their PAWS accounts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Results will be announced Tuesday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. during the weekly RHA meeting in the Castilian Room in the Union.
 
Contact Parker Wishik at [email protected]