In the Michigan Student Assembly elections, which began today, three slates of candidates seek student support to fill the assembly's executive positions. All slates have strengths and weaknesses they would bring to MSA. Out of the three slates, the Blue Party's presidential candidate Bram Elias and vice presidential candidate Andy Coulouris are the most focused and have the most to offer the student body.
This is the first time the Blue Party is running for MSA. It mainly consists of former members of the Students' Party, which has dominated the assembly for the past two years. Elias and Coulouris said they created the new party to avoid "party bosses" and equalize power among the assembly members. They admit it was a political move, and the Blue Party does not have many differences on issues with the Students' Party. But Elias's and Coulouris's backgrounds and motivation set them apart from St
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Elias, who currently serves as MSA's treasurer, and Coulouris, a former MSA representative and current co-coordinator of Voice Your Vote, have wide-ranging experience that works well together. Elias knows the technical aspects of MSA. He oversees all financial affairs of the assembly.
Coulouris, with his experience on Voice Your Vote, brings vast experience in mobilizing the student body for a cause most people support - voting. Together, they have developed a plan that will lead MSA in the right direction for the next year.
Elias would thrive as MSA president, and this is evident by his performance over the past year as treasurer. Most importantly, he revived the forgotten promise of an MSA coursepack store that offers coursepacks at cost value. Although the coursepack store only serves a few classes, it is incredibly impressive that Elias was able to get this store up and running. He turned a broken promise made before he was even involved with MSA into reality. He led the fight for a student regent, even when it appeared the campaign would inevitably fail.
Other candidates lack Elias's and Coulouris's focus on student issues. Defend Affirmative Action Party candidates Jessica Curtin and Erika Dowdell have strong political beliefs that they would be unlikely to compromise if their constituents disagreed. MSA must serve all students, not just students with certain political beliefs. Curtin and Dowdell view MSA first and foremost as a political activist organization and do not concentrate enough on the services it provides to the campus. Chopp and Karnik, while they do not have the same political drive as Curtin and Dowdell, lack the enthusiasm and understanding necessary for the job. Elias and Coulouris, however, understand MSA's role as being an advocate for student rights as well as a service provider. They also have tremendous enthusiasm for MSA projects geared toward improving student life. This is evident in their platform.
Elias and Coulouris do not promise dozens of huge benefits for students. Their platform contains a short list of reachable goals, not a long list of unimaginable promises. They will continue the fight to reform the Code of Student Conduct. MSA has done an exceptional job reviewing the Code in the past year, releasing a thorough report to the University Board of Regents.
The Blue Party has plans to move MSA to a direct constituency. This would allow students to have their own representative to whom they could make suggestions and ask questions. Under the current system, representatives are elected at large, and they do not answer to a specific group of students. Direct constituency would make representatives more accountable for their actions, and it would let students participate more in the assembly's government. Currently, the assembly is distant to most students, and this can be seen in the low voter participation numbers of past semesters.
Elias and Coulouris also realize the value of MSA External Relations Committee members lobbying in Lansing. This is one of the most important functions MSA can serve for students. It allows student opinions to be known to those who shape the state's policies on higher education - particularly funding, which has been inadequate over the past two years.
Curtin and Dowdell are attempting to use MSA to build a nationwide activist movement on campus. This is admirable, and Curtin has led many successful political movements on this campus over the past few years. Curtin has taken strong and correct stances on issues such as affirmative action and the Ann Arbor Police Department's harassment of fraternities. But political activism is only one of MSA's many roles. And Curtin does not seem to focus on campus-specific issues other than affirmative action, such as the Code, which has oppressed students for too many years. When Curtin was asked what weaknesses she would have if elected at her Daily endorsement interview, she could not name any personal weaknesses and said the only problem would be if students were unwilling to be politically active in support of her causes. Everyone has weaknesses, and this demonstrates that she may be unwilling to compromise in certain situations. Curtin has a valuable voice on campus, and she has done an exceptional job as chair of the Peace and Justice Commission. But at this time, she is not prepared to hold MSA's executive office.
Chopp is a sophomore who lacks the vision of Elias and Coulouris. Her understanding of MSA's many facets is questionable, and she seems more concerned about the length of MSA meetings than the content. Chopp would benefit from continuing to be active in MSA for another year, and re-evaluating her intentions for executive office next year. If elected, Chopp would maintain the status quo of MSA but not move it forward with new ideas and projects.
Under Elias's and Coulouris's leadership, MSA's power and influence would not be spread too thin. They have realistic aspirations and would act as advocates for all students to the University administration. Vote Bram Elias for MSA president and Andy Coulouris for MSA vice president.
Elias
Coulouris
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03-24-99
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