This week students will be asked to vote between two slates and two men to lead the student body. Will we choose the tried and true or the young and new?
Current A.S. President Adam Haverstock is asking students to re-elect him based on his accomplishments of his first term. Haverstock is a 24-year-old grad student majoring in hospitality and recreation and tourism management. Haverstock lists bringing back extended hours to the CSUN Tram system, lowering the cost of intramurals, stopping a proposed fee increase to winter session and the voter registration effort as his accomplishments from 2007- 2008.
He also lists “increased effectiveness” of the A.S. Senate based on more resolutions being passed than the “last few senates” and claims to have developed an extensive statewide advocacy program.
His slate Students First is campaigning for effective government, fair funding and student issues.
Challenging Haverstock is Miguel Segura, a 22-year-old political science major with a minor in Chicano/a studies who is a one-time A.S. Senator and involved with the New Student Orientation program.
Segura’s E3 (Educate, Empower, Enhance) slate is campaigning for educating students on issues that affect them and services available to them, empowering students to make an impact on campus, and get involved and enhance the CSUN experience for each student.
The E3 website says that once students are educated and empowered their CSUN experience will be enhanced and will create more student involvement.
Their slates are quite different from one another. Segura’s slate centers more on campus to try to get CSUN students involved, while Haverstock is also working on a statewide level and calling for advocacy to stop fee increases and other student issues at the state level.
But they have their similarities. Both candidates have ties with the Greek system. Segura is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Haverstock is alumni of Pi Kappa Phi.
They both are subject of minor criticism. Segura is criticized for running for A.S. president in spring 2007, but did not have a slate prepared and said he was not motivated than as he is now. He has teamed up with current A.S. Senator Nicole Umali to try again at beating out Haverstock for the presidential position.
Haverstock, on the other hand, is criticized by clubs and organizations for his senate and finance committee not fully funding clubs and organizations finance requests. He was also questioned for half of the senate resigning at the beginning of this spring semester. Haverstock credited the senators’ departure to his high expectations for cabinet members.
This upcoming year already promises to be a challenging one. In addition to the usual student issues of parking demands, tuition increases and club fudning, the president is facing sharp budget cuts from the CSU system and the effects the those cuts will have on our campus.
Like many other elections, we are offered a choice of the established current politician or to take a risk with a new one.
With the average of about 2,000 to 3,000 students participating in the student elections, about 10 percent of the student population will decide who will lead the student body through 2008 to 2009 and lead us in a fight for our student rights.
Voting begins today at 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. and will resume Wednesday at the same time in front of the bookstore in Matador Square. Voting can also be done online.
