STUDENT SENATE ELECTIONS
Be informed: Students have options when they choose their leaders
By Deanna Kerslake, Staff Writer
May 2, 2007 | 5:16 p.m.
Ohio University students will get the chance to elect Student Senate members for the 2007-2008 school year on May 17, with the option of selecting candidates from the PULSE party, TOGA party or those running independently.
According to a campus-wide e-mail from Board of Elections Chair Janelle Nichols, elections will take place May 17 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Students will be able to vote from any computer or at polling locations in Baker Center, Ping and possibly College Gate.
This year’s election has two official parties: PULSE and TOGA. Although each party has a ticket with candidates for each position, voters are able to vote position by position — across party lines or for independents. Positions include president, vice president, treasurer, five at-large senators, representatives for each college and green, as well as five off-campus living representatives and SAC at-large representatives.
PULSE
Platform: The PULSE party believes that in order to have growth and change, people must be able to think for themselves, according to PULSE presidential candidate Patrick Heery. Its platform consists of an emphasis on environmental change, shared governance, diversity and a returning emphasis on the student, according to its Web site.
Heery said emphasis on environmental change "recognizes our responsibility of implementing long-term thinking by joining hands with the Athens community — focusing on something more meaningful than Halloween." When it comes to shared governance, Heery hopes to have all views, at all levels, represented equally.
How party candidates were chosen: PULSE’s executive positions hand-picked candidates that would represent the voice of their constituency or that had a unique or special quality about them, Heery said. He said they strove to select people from all walks of life. The PULSE ticket currently has seven incumbent voting officers on Senate, six active associates of Student Senate and 20 Senate newcomers and student leaders.
Interesting Goal: According to its Web site, PULSE hopes to, "improve dining hall hours and food." Heery said next year’s Senate will be able to improve dining hall hours, but it may be more of a long-term goal to improve food quality since it is a complex issue.
What makes it different: "Our ability to make changes happen," Heery said. He said that voters should look at the executives and what they have accomplished in the past.
TOGA
Platform: TOGA wishes to take a more "holistic look" at issues around campus that are all embodied in the "paramount" theme of student life, TOGA presidential candidate Tim Vonville said. Its platform has positions on diversity, communication, an emphasis on student voice, budget transparency, academics, "town/gown relations," athletics and the environment.
Vonville said that TOGA will focus on working with the media, working with students one on one and having close ties with organizations. He hopes to establish a research and media wing in Student Senate in order to provide a qualitative assessment of what students are thinking. TOGA views budget transparency as a state issue and will create a consortium of student leaders from around the state to collectively discuss issues that address higher education, Vonville said. TOGA hopes to improve diversity in all areas, create honors tracks and degrees in all colleges and promote recycling and environmental responsibility off campus.
How party candidates were chosen: There was a formal interview process held with people who applied for positions, Vonville said. The four-month process resulted in a ticket that is made up of two-thirds current Senate members and one-third new members. Vonville said this ratio will provide new ideas accompanied with direction.
Interesting Goal: According to the TOGA Facebook group, it will revamp pre-college by abandoning AlcoholEDU, creating a seminar on health and wellness that encompasses sexual health, alcohol responsibility, mental health and hygiene as well as pushing for more student involvement in the process.
What makes it different: "We have it where it counts," Vonville said. TOGA opts to take a qualitative perspective on issues and understands that OU is a social university where "people like people," Vonville said.
Independent Presidential Candidates
Will Klatt: Klatt said he decided to run independently for president after he spoke to people running in the two parties and felt that "they were not really committed to reforming shared governance." Klatt hopes to create a "Student Popular Assembly that can organize and represent the voices of the students, and demand democratic reforms so that students, faculty and workers have veto power over the administration’s policies."
According to his Facebook group, Klatt opposes "the administrative moves to increase the university punishments for students who responsibly consume alcohol or marijuana" and wants to "transform the Oasis into a student run and owned” community center. Klatt openly says that he will vote "no confidence" in OU President Roderick McDavis and advocates "common participation from the university community."
Shane Tilton: Tilton decided to run for student senate president in order to "tackle" five issues. According to his Facebook group, he wants to increase graduate student representation on student senate, have more direct channels of communication and accountability between the student body and President McDavis, have a strong commitment to university programming from the administration, make an end to the party system in student senate elections and protect student information on campus servers.