First to go were the candidates for Vice President: Gregory Snow, Craig O'Rourke II, and Cindy Vollaro (Timothy Adams was not present).
Greg Snow mentioned in his opening remarks that "change is the law of life" and mentioned that he has spent the last year fighting for change in the student government. Among his accomplishments he mentioned the changes to the fiscal structure. He stated that there was some resistance to change among the executive branch of SGA, while mentioning that he considered his fellow executives to be his friends and that he meant no offense to any of them (Snow is currently SGA Treasurer). He mentioned that he offers leadership with a vision and said that he intends to keep his promises and be accessible to senators and students in general. It is his feeling that the executives should be united; he stated that he is ready to oversee the operations of the senate with his running mate, Justin Sprague.
Snow was asked what could be done to get more students involved in SGA. He responded by saying that SGA should do more to promote its ideas and put less of an emphasis on finances. He also said that senators should do more about going out and soliciting opinions from people on campus. Another question was raised about people feeling uncomfortable about going into the SGA office. Snow said that the office isn't such a bad place and that if more things like the examination files were in there, more people would come. He said that his strongest personality traits were his commitment and dedication.
Craig O'Rourke II was the second candidate to speak. He said he's been around WPI for three years and has been active in soccer and other groups like women's basketball. Along the way, he stopped in SGA and "upset a few people"; he said that his timing was all wrong. "What I wanted to happen couldn't be conducted [at that time]." But now he's back and he's running for VP because he realizes that the campus is more than just buildings. Student government, O'Rourke feels, should be a unifying force on campus; it should bridge the gaps between Greeks and non-Greeks, athletes and non-athletes, etc. He ended by saying that the apathy on campus has to stop and that there are a lot of good candidates for office and that he feels he is one of them.
He felt that better communication would help with getting more people involved in SGA. He stated that SGA should be representative and that the senate should question how well they are doing at this. O'Rourke was asked about people being uncomfortable in the SGA office. He recalled that many people feel that SGA is a clique, he said that this is reasonable because members have to work together and that they bond in the process. He said that he came up with a plan to increase awareness, "project reach out and touch someone," and this was accepted by the senate. According to O'Rourke, change must come from within. His greatest strength, he feels, is his charisma, closely followed by his ability to get along with diverse groups. His weaknesses include his "inability to know when to keep my mouth shut."
Cindy Vollaro started by saying that she is a junior, a biotech major and a leader. She is active in Phi Sigma Sigma, cheerleading, and working as a PLA. She feels that she is well suited for office and that she is willing to serve any of the presidential candidates as VP. She sees her role as a liaison to the senate and feels that she has the energy to do the job. Vollaro mentioned that she is open to input from all students and that she looks forward to serving the student body.
She stated that it was important for SGA to make people aware of what they do and that more should be done to get input from students. Her feeling is that if more people know about SGA, more people will be interested in joining SGA. Vollaro said that it would be her responsibility to make sure that the SGA office is a welcoming place. If senators got out of line, she felt that it would be her duty to speak with them privately. Strengths of hers include her enthusiasm; her gung ho attitude is something which she feels will stay with her. She feels that she does have to work on her organizational skills, but this isn't something beyond her.
The Secretary candidates were the next to debate. The candidates are Robert Polin and Jennx Yambert.
Polin started by saying that he is a transfer student from Bridgewater State. Currently he is on the wrestling team, where he is secretary, and he was also secretary of his high school class. He said that he is outgoing and a leader who has ideas for the student government. He feels that it is the role of SGA to represent students, because many students don't even know that SGA exists and that more should be done to publicize the group's activities. Polin's experiences as a secretary in high school and with the wrestling team here will help him in the role of SGA secretary.
Yambert mentioned her role as parliamentarian of SGA, which has heightened her awareness of what the SGA does. She has also joined two committees: the Committee on Academic Issues and Committee on Student Life Issues. Her term as parliamentarian ends with the coming election and she wants to remain active in the SGA, and she hopes that she can help things run smoothly. In her opinion, she can get along with any of the candidates and she feels she has many good ideas for how the senate can be more active on campus.
She feels that the role of SGA is to allocate funds and act as a liaison between students and faculty. Yambert's experiences as News Editor of Newspeak and as a secretary in high school groups and her knowledge of what happens on campus will help her in her new role.
The candidates for Treasurer were to debate next, but only Lance Baden was in attendance (Mickey Lacroix was not able to attend).
Baden spoke about the fact that he has transferred from Brandeis University and that he has noticed a lot of differences in the social life and student government between the two schools. He mentioned that there is a lot of room for improvement in our government here. He is a wrestler and a part of the Greek system, which he feels gives him perspectives into student life that others might not have. As a treasurer he would remain open-minded and would work to improve life on campus. When asked about what he thought about recent changes in the funding of organizations on campus, he said that he doesn't know a lot about what's going on, but that he would learn more as he got more involved.
Sprague mentioned that when he first came to WPI he was impressed by the average student at WPI, a thing which he feels is all too often ignored. There is a large body of people who are neglected by the student government. He said that he used to look in at the SGA office with awe, but he feels that is missing now. SGA is budgeting too many people on campus and that must change. He stated that he has an activist policy which would work for change. He promised to be an advocate for the student body, the student government can do more and Sprague hopes to set goals for the senate. He hopes to increase diversity in the senate and to bring more groups into the governing process. Sprague also promised to leave the office and go out to talk to students on campus.
Sprague said that his leadership style was highlighted by setting goals. He has challenged SGA to do this, but it hasn't happened, which is one reason why he wants to be president. He also said that he would lead by setting examples and working to get a group consensus. Sprague feels it is important to get to know each senator personally and would work towards that end. He feels that international students are a great resource to this campus, helping the 88% of students from the US appreciate diversity.
Freimuth began by reading Newspeak headlines, pointing out that things are constantly changing on campus and that its a different place from when he came to WPI. He feels that he could be a good person to convey students' needs to the administration. "I know that I can listen" he said adding that he would work to "make the community realize students come first." He said that he was tired of SGA being someone's pet political science project. SGA should exist as the voice of the student body, working to improve student life. "I can put SGA back on track," Freimuth said in his closing remarks.
Freimuth said that he would communicate with his constituents, the administration and organizations on campus. He said that international students have needs too, which he would work to find out and convey to the administration.
Uchendu spoke to his skills as an energetic motivator and said that he feels that would help him as president. He has been in SGA for two years and feels he knows what needs to be done. He said that he would work to see that all students are represented and that he has ideas on how to achieve this. When asked how well he could work with the administration, said that he was friends with some members of the administration. Being able to work with them on a personal level and his skills as a people person would make him a good president.
The candidates for senator-at-large were invited to speak about themselves and their reasons for running. Three were present to do so: Kurt Deschler, Eduardo Oliveira Jr. and Jeremy Olszewski. The candidates who were not available were: Brian Beaton, Terry Fay, Brett Fricke, John Genereux, Kevin Hardiman, Craig Henricksen, Jen M. Johnson, Kenneth Morse, Doug Olsen and Eric Pauly.
Kurt Deschler mentioned the fact that he is a sophomore and a member of a fraternity. He feels that the school and the student government sometimes overlook this large portion of the student body. Deschler stated that he would go around campus and look for suggestions on what to do as a senator, he's a practical man and he feels he could represent everyone well.
Eduardo Oliveira Jr. is also a sophomore and he intends to make his voice heard in SGA. He was Key Club president in high school and he feels that this will help him in the senate. Oliveira invited students to write to him or e-mail him (box 740, oliveira@wpi) at any time with their concerns. He stated that he wanted to make sure that the school works for everyone.
Jeremy Olszewki said that he is currently a senator-at-large and chair of the Policy and Procedures Committee. He feels that he has done a good job in keeping things simple, he doesn't believe in a lot of government. He stated that SGA is not like the US government, nor the Massachusetts government and that whatever works is best. Internal issues should be resolved quickly, so that SGA can work to benefit WPI. He is happy that there are so many candidates running this year and he feels that something has happened in SGA in the past year and good or bad, he is happy to have been part of it.
The floor was then opened up, so that questions from the audience could be answered.
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