Nearly 70 students attended “Hardball with SG” to watch the four Student Government campaigns debate minority affairs and controversial issues.The debate, hosted by the Black Student Union and Delta Sigma Theta sorority, marked the third of four debates. The next is the TigerTV debate in the Journalism Building on Monday at 7:30 p.m.Brooksie Bonvillain and Chris Sellers represented the “Leading the Way” campaign. J Hudson represented the “StudentsFIRST” campaign. Theo Williams and Millena Williams represented the “Geauxing the Distance” campaign, and Bryan Wooldridge and John Craig represented the “Two Kings for LSU” campaign.Theo Williams said the University’s new flagship agenda has many pillars, one of which is diversity.”I’m going to make sure the University holds up to its agreement to keep this University a diverse one,” Theo Williams said.Hudson said to increase minority recruitment, he’d like to spotlight students organizations to show the events they sponsor. Wooldridge said he’d like to open doors for minority students.”The way to increase minority recruitment is to open the door of scholarship to everyone: little people, Vikings, Australians,” Wooldridge said.Tuition hikes may become inevitable to protect the University’s academic core. Bonvillain and Sellers said they’ll need to secure funding to do so.”I will fight to keep LSU’s tuition as reasonable as possible and keep students here to prepare them for later in life,” Bonvillain said.Hudson said tuition increases may become a reality, and the University will not have the resources it currently has.”The only way we can do it is to continue to have the funding for those resources,” Hudson said. “We want to insure that scholarships are available and tuition wavers are available.”Theo Williams said he opposes a tuition increase.”My opponents are correct in saying we may not be able to avoid a tuition increase,” Theo Williams said. “I do not believe we should increase tuition. We should be worried about increasing our academic level.”To help student organizations, Millena Williams said she can relate to the importance of getting involved on campus. Her “Geaux Serve” days will showcase the University’s worth to the community.Craig said organizations should be allowed to express themselves better.”We need to loosen up restrictions,” Craig said. “I really think these opportunities will seem more appealing to the everyday student.”Sellers said they built their platform around getting students involved.”We want to make student outreach a central part of our administration,” Sellers said. “We want to help those organizations with their programs. We have the funding and help available.”Hudson said under the SG director of organizational outreach, he’d like to introduce a liaison to minority organizations.”If we have that, it will open up communication and solve problems we’ve had in the past,” Hudson said.One audience member asked how the candidates would be representative of the entire student body, and not just the white, Greek community.
Sellers said while choosing their college council candidates, it was about choosing the most qualified candidates.”And it was from there that we got so much diversity,” Sellers said. “Diversity is based off diversity of ideas.”Wooldridge and Craig attended LSU Lab School, and they said their time spent on the campus will help them if elected.”John and I are very reflective of the entire student body,” Wooldridge said. “We had a Jewish friend that was going to sign up with us.”—-Contact Catherine Threlkeld at [email protected]