The race is on

Housing, parking and advising were among the many time-tested issues the three presidential candidates for the Monroe Park Campus Student Government Association debated Thursday night in the University Student Commons.

The candidates – Jessica Lee, William Moehl and Clint Titsworth, all current SGA members – took questions from moderator Carrie Whittier, associate director for programs and educational services, and audience members for almost two hours, causing the event to go beyond its scheduled end time. The candidates’ vice presidential and executive director running mates stood by their sides, at points taking the microphone to answer group questions.

Moehl, current Student Media Commission chairman, opened the debate.

“VCU has its problems, and I don’t have to tell you that every student at VCU, from freshmen to graduate students, is affected and struggles with these problems,” Moehl said, emphasizing the need to find solutions.

When asked about the most pressing issue on campus, Moehl cited school spirit, stressing that it goes beyond attendance at basketball games. A lack of school spirit generally is indicative of overall dissatisfaction with school services, such as advising, said Moehl, a junior business major.

Lee, current senate chairwoman, focused on VCU’s growth and development in many of her comments.

“VCU is more concerned about numbers than they are concerned about students,” said Lee, a junior political science major. “They’re trying to get more people in here, they’re trying to get bigger fundraisers, bigger events, but they don’t really care about the students who are coming in here.”

Titsworth, director of technology under current Student Body President Ali Faruk, touted the need for creativity in student government, mentioning the innovative techniques he has used in the classroom as an engineering student.

“I come in, I look at a problem, propose solutions, and try to work towards them the best way possible,” Titsworth said.

Among his initiatives, Titsworth proposed improving parking by allotting spaces by students’ majors and opening vacant faculty lots at night.

During the debate, the candidates reached consensus on a number of topics. All agreed the SGA needs to improve its relations with student organizations and that one way to possibly help the homeless in the campus area is to use students’ leftover meal swipes to purchase food from campus dining facilities for donation.

The candidates also unanimously supported two referenda that will appear on the elections ballot. One seeks to extend the add/drop period at the beginning of each semester from one to two weeks. The other proposes canceling a day’s worth of classes so that students may engage in community service as part of VCU Service Day.

The presidential hopefuls differentiated themselves with their stances on larger, more pervasive campus issues such as housing.

Moehl said “the best way to fix” housing is to lobby VCU administration to institutionalize student housing improvements in the VCU 2020 Strategic Plan, a road map for university development over the next decade.

Lee objected, saying a strategic plan is not enough.

“We need to establish a better relationship with the Fan District Association, and we need to encourage safety so that students feel more comfortable living a little bit off campus,” she said.

Titsworth suggested a more comprehensive approach to improving housing.

“We have people commuting to campus now because (VCU doesn’t) have dorms available, and they don’t want to rent,” he said. “So we also have to look at issues surrounding this, such as parking and the things that go with parking, such as the escort service and safety in parking lots.”

The candidates also dissented on whether to increase the student activity fee. Moehl said he might increase it $5 or $10 per person, but Lee countered that students should not face more taxes.

Titsworth promoted a student charity fund, which he referred to throughout the debate.

“We can put money in this fund via fundraisers, donations or possibly even extra meal swipes from Shafer,” he explained.

After the debate, Student Body President Ali Faruk commended the candidates for taking many questions from the audience.

“It seemed like the audience was really into it, and they wanted to keep going,” he said. “The candidates had to stand up there for a while, but they were troopers.”

Ali said all of the candidates have good ideas, but his support lies with Lee and her executive team.

“It takes more than just being a good organizer to be in SGA,” he said. “It takes ambition, and it takes an ability to work well with people, and I think Jessica has all of those.”

Audience member Justin Greene, who ran last year as vice president under presidential candidate Bruce Vann, said he plans to vote for Moehl’s ticket because of Moehl’s get-tough attitude with VCU administration.

Regardless of the outcome, Greene said, he expects to see SGA reform.

“I could see all of these people, whether they win or not, work together.”

Editor’s Note: In today’s printed issue of The Commonwealth Times William Moehl was identified as a current SGA member. The Commonwealth Times regrets the error.