Students vie for MSA seats alone

Standing apart from the rest, the candidates running as independents for seats on the Michigan Student Assembly have their own ideas of how a student government should operate.

Hoping to make positive changes in students' lives, the independent candidates stress the importance of a quality academic environment - including implementing academic advising that would be more helpful to students and developing extensive training sessions that will produce more qualified graduate student instructors.

Some candidates said if they obtain an MSA seat following elections next week, they will try to develop a better system for evaluating GSI's and lowering the cost of textbooks.

Others said they will stress the importance of making some conveniences easily accessible to students.

Independent party candidate Jim Secreto, an LSA first-year student, said he is concerned with the lives of students and wants to focus on politics at a local level.

"I may or may not be concerned with UN sanctions in Iraq; however, I don't think that MSA should be concerned with national politics," Secreto said.

Although differing in the reasons why they chose to run as independents, the candidates said they do share a common opinion - current issues within the MSA party systems don't coincide with their personal views.

LSA sophomore Marc Hustvedt, an independent candidate, said he is against the party system for several reasons.

"When you are a party representative, the interest of the party often goes against the interest of the students," Hustvedt said. "It's almost like having a split personality."

Hustvedt added that he just wants to be a representative of the student body.

Many of the candidates said they feel they are more capable than party members of creating change within the student government because they are not affiliated with a particular party, and are consequently free to make decisions based on student needs.

The independent candidates also said they feel their straightforward campaigns will win votes in the upcoming elections.

Without a lot of flashy advertisements and catchy campaign slogans, the candidates said they will rely heavily on their friends to get the word out, explaining that one of the main campaign issues they face is a limited budget.

The candidates said they set very modest budgets for themselves - ranging from about $20 to $75 - and will stick to them.

LSA junior David Taub, an independent candidate, has never held a position in student government and said he believes this fact will give him an advantage.

"I'm an independent thinker, and I haven't been corrupted by the student government system," Taub said.

Taub said he sees himself as the pro-biker, pro-pedestrian candidate, and feels that the limited budget of the independent candidates is more friendly to the environment.

"The more you spend, the more you waste," Taub said.

03-18-99