Residence Halls Association candidates for the 2006-2007 executive board debated May 11 over strategies to provide help to students in the residence halls and in the university.

The candidates also discussed plans to increase the visibility of RHA events at CSUN.

“I want to get RHA more well known,” said Sara Corp, junior child development major and candidate for vice president. “I want to get the community together and more involved.”

The candidate running with Corp, Veronica Gutierrez, said she hopes to be elected and gain recognition from student residents about the organization.

Getting more student residents involved in activities and keeping them aware of events and programs were some of the main goals that each candidate said they wished to accomplish if elected.

Getting the word out about events is the job of an elected RHA marketing and public relations member.

Kimberly Sheyvingh, junior business management major, is running for the position, She said she will introduce different ways of marketing the RHA if elected.

“I want our name to get out there,” Sheyvingh said. “I want us to learn different ways of advertising and for us to not get repetitive.”

Posting up colored flyers in the residence halls is the repetitiveness that Sheyvingh said she plans to change after having extensive knowledge in marketing.

“When a student walks into a dorm building, they see different flyers and tend to just block them out,” Sheyvingh said.

Marketing RHA events and programs is up to the organization’s vice president of Involvement and Development.

The only candidate running for the position is Dylan Gunning, junior leisure studies and recreation major.

Gunning is campaigning to have more programs and fun events is what.

“I would like to have two or three programs a month, if that is possible,” Gunning said.

There are currently two students running for president, Arturo Diaz Juarez and Sophia Recalde, with campaigns that have different goals.

“What I want is to bring cohesiveness that has lacked the last two years,” Juarez said, junior art and graphic design major.

Some residence halls are for specific groups of students, which are called the Living Learning Communities. Recalde said these communities are great for students and more groups should be established in the buildings.

“I want to bring more communities to the dorm life,” Recalde said, who lived in building that housed the CTVA students. “I met some great people and I want others to experience that love, networking and interests with others.”

Students in the residence halls are not the only focus of some of the candidates.

“The dorms aren’t the big picture,” Recalde said. “CSUN is the big picture.”

The candidates are capable of running the RHA, said Peter Gallego, who has been with RHA for over two years and is running for vice president of administration and finance.

“I see a good vision with all of the candidates,” Gallego said. “They will do a good job, a wonderful job, to keep cooperation in decisions.”

The last day of voting is today and only students living in the residence halls can vote.

RHA voting will held 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Satellite Student Union and dorm tram stops.