While only about 25 students attended the Associated Student Government debates Thursday, more than 40 students questioned the candidates at the Coalition of Color debate Sunday.

After a question-and-answer session with the candidates, the coalition decided to endorse Adam Humann for president; no candidate for executive vice president; Sameer Gafoor strongly for academic vice president; and Laura Ellis with reservations for student services vice president.

The Coalition of Color, composed of students representing For Members Only, Alianza, South Asian Student Alliance and Asian American Advisory Board, was created four years ago to encourage ASG candidates to address minority issues at Northwestern. And coalition members said the attendance Sunday was proof that minorities at NU don’t succumb to the overall campus’ apathy.

“It shows that minority issues are at the forefront of issues on this campus,” said Purvi Shah, president of SASA.

Former ASG Academic Vice President and coalition member Manu Bhardwaj described the presidential candidates’ platforms as having “a glaring hole” because Humann and presidential candidate Stefan Beck aren’t addressing issues such as minority underrepresentation and the expansion of NU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

“It was really disappointing,” said Bhardwaj, a Weinberg senior. “What’s on your platform is what you stand for and not having underrepresented minorities on that is a huge hole.”

Although his platform doesn’t provide solutions to diversity issues, Humann received the coalition’s endorsement for president because coalition members said Humann’s heart is in the right place.

Humann said expanding MLK Day would not fall under his responsibilities as president, but that an understanding of minority issues should be implicit in the best candidate.

“I have past records that I have not neglected these issues,” said Humann, a Weinberg junior.

Said Beck: “I would make it a concern if elected.”

Students in the audience also raised concerns about the lack of communication between student groups and ASG.

Alaina Jackson, outgoing president of the Black Undergraduate Law and Business Society, asked executive vice presidential candidate Jordan Heinz, who also is the group’s executive committee representative, why he hasn’t attended any of the group’s meetings or events this year.

Heinz admitted that he may have left BULBS off his e-mail list and therefore was not informed of the group’s executive meetings.

“He did not represent himself to us at all,” said Jackson, a Speech junior. “Anyone who wants to be in ASG needs to have the initiative to go beyond what is required. All of his groups have lost something with their relationships with ASG. ASG doesn’t want us to be involved.”

The coalition was unable to consider executive vice presidential candidate Anil Hurkadli, who couldn’t attend the debate because he was sick.

Weinberg junior Christina Saenz asked candidates how they would account for their own biases.

Humann responded to the question by saying he is unsure of his biases but tries to be open-minded. As a member of the committee that will select Vice President for Student Affairs Peggy Barr’s successor, Humann said he grilled the candidates on minority issues.

“I try to be an advocate when I’m in a position to do so,” he said.

But Saenz said candidates talked around the question and did not provide the answer she was looking for.

“They don’t know what it’s like to be a minority on campus,” said Saenz, a member of Alianza and the Progressive Alliance. “ASG doesn’t recognize its own white privilege. I would have liked them to admit, ‘I have white privilege.'”

Students also expressed a concern for the poor recruiting of Asian-American students and an interest for an Asian-American outreach coordinator. Weinberg junior Gafoor said a recruiter would be a long-term goal but there could be ways to set up more recruiting in students’ hometowns.

Candidates said they learned the importance of increasing underrepresented minority recruitment and listening to student concerns.

“This is the most productive thing I’ve done all week,” Humann said.