Today students have the opportunity to vote in the Student Government general election.
This election will determine next year’s president, vice president, Senate members and other officials. It also includes a referendum on a fee increase for construction on the Union.
This year’s presidential ballot includes four candidates: Cassie Alsfeld, Paul Dietzel, Jacob Gower and Calder Lynch.
Alsfeld, mass communication junior, is the leader of the Moving Forward ticket, which is endorsing about 75 candidates. Her vice presidential running mate is Josh King, electrical engineering junior.
Moving Forward ticket members said the facilitation of student involvement by making SG accountable and accessible is an important issue.
“We will ensure that the channels of communication are open and are direct but mostly that they’re informative – so that every student on this campus plays an active role in the conversations that take place,” Alsfeld said Feb. 22 at a press conference when she announced her candidacy.
Dietzel, mass communication junior, formed the Campaign for Change. Change is coalition of about 30 candidates, including mass communication junior Tanesha Craig, Change’s vice presidential candidate.
Change wants to promote open dialogue between SG and students.
“We’d like to introduce … what we call the Student Open Office Program that will be not a monthly program, not a yearly program – it’s a program that will be held every single week,” Dietzel said.
The Change campaign sparked controversy regarding whether the group should be classified as a ticket. One Election Board hearing, one Trial Court hearing and two University Court hearings have attempted to settle the issue.
Gower, political science junior, is running as an independent candidate. He is accompanied by vice presidential running mate Todd Elliot, finance junior.
Gower’s platform focuses on holding SG responsible to the students. His Facebook.com group states that “Student Government has become irrelevant … support our effort to make SG more than an empty promise.”
Lynch, public administration and general business junior, is the presidential candidate on the Contract with LSU ticket. Mass communication junior Anna Dearmon is his vice presidential candidate. Collectively there are about 60 candidates on the Contract with LSU ticket.
A cornerstone of the Contract with LSU platform is the possible creation of a board of ethics. According to the ticket’s Web site, the board will create a code of ethics for student organizations and University departments.
There will also be two additional issues issues presented on today’s ballot.
The first is the LSU Union and Theater Referendum, a proposal that would increase student fees to fund the Union’s expansion and renovation project.
If passed, the referendum will incrementally raise student fees by $34 over the next two years. Students are currently paying $60 each semester for the Union project.
The Union Board said the original fee is no longer enough because of a 40 percent increase in production costs following hurricanes Katrina and Rita in fall 2005.
Alsfeld and Lynch both publicly endorsed the passage of the referendum.
The election will also ask students to approve an amendment to the SG Constitution. This amendment will prevent SG funds from being allotted to salaries unless the salary is for an SG official prohibited from holding another job.
More student organizations sponsored debates for candidates than in previous years, encouraging political discourse among students. All four presidential candidates appeared at each of the debates.
Students for Reform hosted the first debate March 6.
The second presidential debate occurred March 8. Hosted by the Black Student Union, the debate ended with a question about the Confederate flag debate. All the candidates agreed it was an issue that deserved action.
Sigma Chi fraternity hosted the third debate at its fraternity house. The debate, which included the vice presidential candidates, focused primarily on issues pertinent to the Greek community.
The final presidential debate took place Thursday. The debate was a joint effort of three campus political organizations – College Democrats, College Republicans and Campus Libertarians. Standing before students in the Dodson Auditorium, candidates answered questions about the freshman residency requirement and proposed future student fees.
At-large and college-specific positions will also be included on the ballot.
In total, there are six at-large positions at stake. In the University Court three justice full seats and two justice half seats are up for election. Half seats are elected for one semester as opposed to a full academic year. This election will also determine a new representative to the Union Board.
There are six positions available in the College of Agriculture. These are president, vice president, treasurer, parliamentarian and two full senate seats.
In the College of Art and Design, three positions are up for election: president, vice president and one full senate seat.
Eleven positions are available in the College of Arts and Sciences: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, five full senate seats and two half senate seats.
The College of Basic Sciences has four contested positions. The list includes president, vice president and two full senate seats.
The E. J. Ourso College of Business ballot has six open positions: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and two full senate seats.
Only the vice-presidential council position is up for election in the College of Education.
The College of Engineering has three available council positions: president, vice president and executive secretary.
Five full senate seats will be distributed among six possible candidates in the Graduate School.
The Manship School of Mass Communication has four open positions: president, treasurer, secretary and one full senate seat.
President, vice president, treasurer and four full senate seats will be elected by the University College Center for Advising and Counseling.
The University College Center for Freshman Year has 15 candidates vying for the seven full senate seats. Additionally, the council president, vice president and secretary will be elected.
—–Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]