Returning ASUSU candidates bypass primary elections

Two Associated Students of Utah State University Executive Council members Jason Pickup and Brittany Duke are coming back for more, with both them on the ballot for different positions.

Both candidates were guaranteed to make it past the primary election, because each of them had only one other runningmate.

Pickup, currently the engineering senator, is running for graduate studies vice president against Jolene Mutchler.

“It seemed like a natural progression,” Pickup said of his decision to run for vice president of graduate studies. “I’m already familiar with legislation currently on the table and the restructuring going on in the Graduate Student Student,” he said.

Graduate students have vastly different needs from their undergraduate counterparts, both candidates said. Issues such as health insurance and travel stipends are much more important to graduate students than programming activities such as the Howl or Mardi Gras.

“We don’t focus on activities or clubs,” said Mutchler. “We’re mostly after opportunities for research dollars.”

These same concerns that make grad students unique have also created a need to restructure GSS. Mutchler currently serves as the chairperson on the GSS restructuring committee.

“I’m really excited,” Mutchler said. “We’ve created not only a work study secretary position, but passed a bill that will allow equal representaion among colleges on the senate.”

Mutchler said she also hopes to create graduate councils within each individual college.

Pickup also said something needs to be done with the organization of GSS.

“A structure needs to be established by all the colleges,” he said. “We need to organize a functioning body.”

Not only will the vice president of graduate studies work with the ASUSU Executive Council, but he or she will also serve as the president of GSS.

“I know the details and understand the GSS constitution. I know some of the pitfalls and have been a part of preparing for next year,” Mutchler said. Having served on GSS for a year, she said, “I’m more aware of what it’s like being a grad student applying for travel funds and dealing with health insurance.”

Mutchler said her experience as a member of GSS makes her a more qualified candidate because working with a senate is an entirely different experience than working with the Executive Council.

But Pickup said the experience he has gained as a member of the Executive Council will be beneficial to him as the president of GSS.

“It will allow me to be more effective and hit the ground running,” he said. “I already have a very good idea of ASUSU operates. I can focus just on my organization and not be preoccupied with how ASUSU works.”

Mutchler said she feel Pickup’s voting record contradicts his goals.

“He voted to table a bill that would put $30,000 into travel funds for graduate students,” among others, Mutchler said.

Pickup said he agrees there needs to be a reallocation of funds to grad student but said he felt the timing wasn’t right for the bill since the ASUSU budget for next year has not yet been determined.

“The issue right now is we don’t know where all the money is going,” he said. Once the budget is set, then the council will look at what programs need to be cut or expanded, he said.

“Then we can see what nees to be done to facilitate the needs of grad students,” he said.

Mutchler said the hardest part about the campaign has just been motivating students to get out and vote. Last year was the highest turnout of grad students, she said, with only 200 of 2,700 grad students voting.

Duke, this year’s current arts and lectures vice president, is running against Spencer Watts for academic vice president.

“I wanted to make sure what we started and what we worked so hard for would be continued,” Duke said.

Duke said she wanted to run for academic senate vice president because “what we’re here for is academics.”

Watts said he chose to get involved with ASUSU through academics because it’s a position that can really make a difference on campus.

“They get to fly under the radar a little bit,” he said. “I can be the one who goes behind the scenes and quietly gets things done,” he said.

Duke said she is talking to students, clubs and organizations to campaign.

“I’m trying not to bombard people,” Duke said. “I hope students will look at the qualifications and what the issues are.”

Duke said some of her goals are to increase student awareness of academic rights, re-evaluate the student grievance process, which is for students who feel they received unfair grades, and create a student council to give input on the tenure of professors.

Watts said he has gained leadership through serving an LDS mission and working on committees for the Latter-day Saints Student Association.

Goals include making scholarships more available to students and to get class goals more clearly outlined in class syllabi.

“I want to learn as much I can from each student and make myself available,” he said. “I consider myself informed, but I also understand I don’t know everything.”

Running against an incumbant like Duke has been good motivation, Watts said.

“I have not underestimated her [Duke] at all,” he said. “She does know how to win and she also knows how to get things done. I want to be well prepeared as I could possibly can for students.”

For more information about ASUSU and the 2005 candidates, go to http://a-station.usu.edu/about/candidates/.

Final elections will take place Tuesday and winners will be announced at 5 p.m. in the Taggart Student Center Sunburst Lounge. The newly elected officers will start the last week of classes.

-sdobson@cc.usu.edu

-bnelson@cc.usu.edu