| Independent | |
|---|---|
 |  |
| Ferris Hussein Presidential candidate | Nick Pavlis V.P. candidate |
| Platform: * Extend drop-add deadline to six weeks after classes begin * Make time limits on parking meters no less than two hours * Lower prices on textbooks | |
The decisions student voters make in next week's Michigan Student Assembly elections could impact issues ranging from the creation of a student regent to everyday policies such as changing the drop/add deadline for courses and mitigating parking problems. Four slates are in the running for MSA president and vice president.
The withdrawal of one candidate from the Wolverine Party last month disqualified the party, forcing LSA sophomores Ferris Hussein and Nick Pavlis to run for president and vice president as independents. The two candidates are concentrating their campaign on extending the deadline for adding and dropping classes, improving parking in Ann Arbor and reducing textbook costs.
Gaining a seat for a student as a voting member of the University Board of Regents highlights the campaign of LSA sophomore Trent Thompson, MSA's External Relations Committee chair, and LSA first-year student Sarah Chopp, an MSA representative. Thompson and Chopp are the Students' Party's picks for president and vice president, respectively.
The major goals of the Students' Party also include structuring a student group to lobby the state Legislature, creating an informational housing guidebook and establishing a lecture-mentorship program where upperclassmen advise students in lecture courses that the students have already taken.
A variety of campus issues are on LSA junior Ryan Friedrichs' platform. Friedrichs, the MSA's Communications Committee co-chair, and LSA first-year student Albert Garcia, the LSA Student Government's Communications Committee chair, are also in the running as independent candidates. Friedrichs and Garcia strongly support the student regent effort, plan to encourage affirmative action discussion through online dialogue, hope to create an online database of student groups and expect to work on next semester's LSA diversity theme semester.
LSA sophomore Elizabeth Keslacy and LSA sophomore Michael Enright defected from the now-defunct Liberty Party, started the New Frontier Party and are running as its presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively. The New Frontier Party's platform calls for changing the meal plan so students could carry over unused meal credits to later in the semester, making MSA student fees optional, reinstating the former Information Technology Division billing system and extending the University bus route.
The Michigan Party does not have an executive slate. The party's plans include expanding uses of the M-Card, conducting a monthly survey of students to find out what issues affect undergraduates, lowering ITD costs and increasing student group funding.
The Defend Affirmative Action Party is also not putting forth a presidential candidate. The main goal of the party is to support the University's current affirmative action policies. It also is calling for increased staffing at campus computing sites.
The eight executive officer candidates, along with about 60 students running for representative, share many similar views on the issues, but there are also many points of contention among the candidates for the University's student governing body.
Student regent
| Students' Party | |
|---|---|
 |  |
| Trent Thompson Presidential candidate | Sarah Chopp V.P. candidate |
| Platform: * Create a student regent seat * Design student lobbying program * Create guidebook to orient students to off-campus housing * Establish lecture-mentorship program | |
Obtaining student representation on the University's Board of Regents has been an ongoing MSA goal for more than 30 years. Recently, the student regent campaign has been renewed by the energetic efforts of the assembly's Student Regent Task Force. The crusade for a student regent has received mixed reaction from MSA candidates.
The Students' Party and both independent presidential tickets said they support the idea of a student regent.
"It is a shame and embarrassing that U of M is the only Big Ten school which does not have an elected student on its board of regents," Friedrichs said. "It's time for that to change. It's time for us to catch up."
MSA has been lobbying the Legislature to pass a bill that would put a student on the board. The other way to create a voting seat for a student on the board is to gather enough signatures to have a statewide ballot proposal to ask Michigan voters for their support. The Yes! Yes! Yes! campaign is part of the effort, trying to get students to agree to pay a $4-5 fee to be used to fund efforts to gather signatures for the ballot proposal.
But Keslacy and Enright reject MSA's efforts to place a student on the board.
"I think the student regent idea is a really bad idea," Keslacy said. "If a student wants to become a regent, that's great. They should either run in their district if they're in-state or get residency in Michigan and run. I feel that my wants and demands are being adequately met by the regents right now."
The affirmative action debate
| Michigan Party | |
|---|---|
| Platform: * Increase usage of M-Card to include parking meters, pay phones and arcades * Survey students to determine issues that affect undergraduates * Lower ITD costs * Increase funding to student groups |
The University's affirmative action policies have recently been challenged by two lawsuits filed by white applicants alleging reverse discrimination in the College of Literature, Science and Arts and the Law School's admissions policies. Earlier this semester, MSA struck down a proposal that would have added a ballot question asking whether MSA should lobby the University to continue using race as a factor in admissions.
"Staying on the theme of getting students involved in important decisions, we would advocate a referendum on important issues such as affirmative action," Hussein said. "We want the everyday student to have a say in what goes on at their school."
Other candidates said that having a question on the ballot is not an adequate way to decide the fate of affirmative action. Thompson and Chopp argue that merely asking about the use of race as a factor in the admissions process ignores the use of other non-academic criteria in admissions including athletics, alumni status and gender.
"MSA's primary goal is to educate the student body on both sides of the issue," Chopp said. "Affirmative action is not a racial issue totally. You have to take everything into consideration and the ballot question only considered race."
Members of the Defend Affirmative Action Party said MSA's role should be to help protect the University's affirmative action policies. DAA was instrumental in organizing support for the National Day of Action activities at the University last month. During the day-long event, hundreds of students boycotted class to show their support for affirmative action.
"We think MSA should be taking up the issue of affirmative action," said Jessica Curtin, an LSA senior running for MSA representative. "We've been building a student movement to defend affirmative action on this campus throughout the entire year. It's our view that that's what MSA should be doing."
Relations with the city and parking
| New Frontier Party | |
|---|---|
 |  |
| Elizabeth Keslacy Presidential candidate | Mike Enright V.P. candidate |
| Platform: * Store residence hall meal credits to be used anytime during the semester * Eliminate mandatory MSA student fees * Restore old ITD billing system * Add more University bus stops | |
Every day, frustrated student motorists find parking tickets atop their automobiles. Parking is an issue of concern to students and city officials alike. MSA currently has a liaison to the Ann Arbor City Council who informs the assembly on issues concerning the University that the city council discusses.
The New Frontier Party candidates said they do not think increased relations with the city would help with parking problems and other issues.
"I would agree that parking affects everyone here," Keslacy said. "As far as what MSA could do and even what city council could do, I'm doubtful. There's just no space in Ann Arbor anymore."
Friedrichs, on the other hand, said MSA should play a greater role in city politics.
The state Legislature and funding
When Gov. John Engler announced earlier this year that he would recommend a 1.5-percent increase in appropriations to the University - lower than past rates of increase - students were stunned to learn that tuition may increase by as much as 8 percent. MSA passed a resolution to lobby the state Legislature for more funding.
"The whole idea (of the lobbying) is to have a student voice," Chopp said. "Any issue that comes in to our state House regarding higher education, we should be there to voice the student perspective."
| Independent | |
|---|---|
 |  |
| Ryan Friedrichs Presidential candidate | Albert Garcia V.P. candidate |
| Platform: * Create online affirmative action dialogue * Hold meetings of student leaders twice per semester * Establish student representation on the Board of Regents | |
Mehul Madia, a candidate for representative with the Michigan Party, said he is in favor of lobbying the state Legislature against Engler's budget proposal.
"I think they should lobby for that to change or do things like letter campaigns," said Madia, MSA's Campus Governance Committee chair. "There's always a question of the effectiveness of lobbying state Legislature, but I think that's an issue that should be explored."
Coursepack and textbook prices
Students face the worry of high living costs in Ann Arbor all the time. Coursepacks and textbooks are especially expensive. Many MSA candidates said they have plans to help reduce the extra costs that come with attending the University.
"We want to address the problems of the bookstores and how we are getting robbed by them," Hussein said. "They buy our used books for only $2-3 dollars only to turn around and sell them at a 1000-percent mark-up."
Student's Party has promised to establish a student coursepack store, which would sell coursepacks at lower prices, during last year's winter election season. Although the project was never realized, Thompson said this is still a goal of the Students' Party.
| Defend Affirmative Action | |
|---|---|
| Platform: * Continue to support affirmative action through more national days of action * Oppose 'DPS harassment at social events' * Increase staffing at computing sites |
"That's something that will definitely get done by this fall," Thompson said. "We have contracts with the Union to sell coursepacks and with professors."
The Michigan Party candidates said they share concern for the high prices students pay for textbooks.
"I think the textbook issue is something that needs to be explored. Is there anything that can be done about it or is it out of our hands?" Madia asked. "It'll be interesting to see what happens with the issue because it is a big issue that affects all students on this campus."
MSA officials hope for large voter turnout
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03-13-98
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