ASUSU Elections: Final duo faces tough questions from students

Utah State University students grilled Noah Riley and Cam Lee Monday during the ASUSU presidential debate with complex questions, proving popularity is not the only factor to being a qualified student leader.

Solving enrollment decreases, relocating the ASUSU offices, providing more on-campus employment and forming smoother relationships with the faculty were just a few problems candidates were asked how they would resolve.

“I know both of them and I feel like they won’t hit on the specifics,” said Chelsea Nelson, a senior majoring in public relations who attended the debate. “They’re both good candidates, but you can tell there’s a lack of education.”

As a common theme for most of his responses to many of the questions, Lee emphasized his abilities as an entrepreneur to form relationships with the right people that will fix most problems that exist at USU.

“Before the concerns and issues are the relationships. If you get the right people on the bus, it’ll go somewhere,” Lee said. “I feel that a leader goes out himself and talks to the big people on campus.”

Riley said he wants to take ASUSU to the students by moving its offices to the second level of the Taggart Student Center. He mentioned replacing the office for the vice president for Student Services or the Housing and Food Services Offices.

“We want to have more of a portal for students to be connected,” Riley said.

Lee’s major push in his platform is to increase on-campus employment and said the best way to solve that problem is by increasing minimum wage. Specific steps to accomplishing that, however, weren’t addressed.

“They’re goals not promises,” Lee said. “You can have a ‘class A’ idea or platform, but if you have a ‘class B’ team you can’t accomplish your goals.”

Lee said he took a democratic approach and asked his campaign members what issues students are facing at USU before he formulated his platform.

In terms of getting more students to come to USU, Riley said the number of graduating high school seniors will be increasing in coming years and President Stan Albrecht has been working hard on increasing enrollment.

“My responsibility is to make the students happy that are already here,” Riley said.

Lee said the key is being recognized as an important institution and receiving funding from outside sources to improve university-sponsored programs.

“When there’s recognition, there’s funding and that’s how the world goes round,” Lee said.

The issue of whether or not funding for faculty members should be cut in order to better accommodate students and how to improve relationships with professors was also brought before the candidates.

Lee emphasized that the needs of faculty members should go before the needs of students because the way they are treated will determine increases or decreases in enrollment.

Riley pointed out that students need to prove themselves to the faculty.

Another big push from Riley is to begin an internship program for club leaders in order to strengthen the already large club and intramural programs at USU.

“ASUSU is only as strong as its clubs are,” he said.

Both candidates said they plan on staying in Logan during the summer if they are elected.

About 40 people attended the debate that was held on the Taggart Student Center patio.

Voting polls will be open until 4:30 p.m. today and students can vote online at http://a-station.usu.edu.

The final announcement for all candidates will be in the TSC International Lounge at 5 p.m. where new officers will take their place in ASUSU.

-mmackay@cc.usu.edu

Noah Riley