USUSA Executive Council candidates debate before voting closes
On the last day of campaigning, candidates for the USUSA Executive Leadership Board and Logan Executive Council positions participated in a town hall presented by The Utah Statesman. On Feb. 24 in the TSC Hub, students answered questions about their platforms and rebutted their opponents. The entire debate was livestreamed on Aggie Radio 92.3 KBLU-LP.
Voting for USUSA Elections closes on Feb. 24 at 11:59 p.m at vote.usu.edu. Those who have already voted can change their vote until it closes. Results will be announced on Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. in the Hub.
Up first was the unopposed candidate for student events executive director Creed Jones. Among other questions, Jones was asked how to maintain safety at large events, such as the Howl. He emphasized appointing an activities director, who oversees the Howl and Casino Night, who has safety as a priority.
Following Jones, the candidates for athletics & campus recreation executive director were called to the stage. Natalie Baker, Caleb Burns and Mikenna Slater discussed how they would work with Utah State University Campus Recreation and listen to student input when making decisions about athletics and intramurals.
Three candidates declared to run for clubs & organizations executive director, but only two were in attendance. Mia Bean, who currently holds the position, and Luke Christner talked about how they would support club presidents and be a liaison between clubs and the university. Jamison Louviere was contacted by the Statesman prior to the town hall but was not in attendance.
The position with the most candidates was the Logan vice president. Kylie Back, Es Barnes, AJ Brannan and Will Hull debated how their platforms would be implemented in their duties, such as overseeing the Aggie Blue Leadership Conference, bettering Logan campus safety and responding to USU MyVoices.
Kicking off the Executive Leadership Board debates, student advocate vice president candidates Shai Spangler and Colin Hastings, who currently holds the position, made their way to the stage. The first question referenced the two USUSA hearing boards that were held this year, which required the use of bylaws that hadn’t been used in years. The two were in agreement that the student advocate vice president shouldn’t be as involved as they were this year and that the hearing board should be more transparent for all USU students. The candidates also discussed MyVoices, legislation that affects USU students and Aggie Vote Week.
J.J. Watts, running opposed for the executive vice president, explained how he would navigate facilities enhancements, account for student needs in the Academic Senate with losing three senate positions and ensure recent fee increases passed by the USU Student Fee Board affect students positively.
Finally, the candidates for USUSA president, Max Alder, Kapp McCallister and Carston Smith started their debate by introducing their platforms. The questions that followed had the three answer what they think the weakest part of USUSA is, a problem they would like to remedy within the statewide system and how they would manage disagreements between upper administration and the general student voice.
Previous coverage on USUSA candidates can be found at usustatesman.com. The full town hall is available to watch on The Utah Statesman’s YouTube at youtube.com/watch?v=YRm_2XSSFU4.