In a debate Tuesday night, the Associated Student Government presidential candidates and their running mates detailed campaign platforms and answered audience questions.
Claire Lew and Hiro Kawashima are running against Alessio Manti and Adam Thompson-Harvey in today’s elections.
The event, held in Norris University Center’s Northwestern Room, drew about 35 people, the majority of whom were affiliated with ASG. Several were affiliated with campus media.
“The program was a good opportunity to continue to push their platforms and have one-on-one, face-to-face debates,” said Tyris Jones, a Weinberg sophomore on ASG’s Election Commission and the new ASG Speaker of the Senate.
Each candidate discussed their platform in an opening statement and answered questions from the audience, followed by the opportunity for a rebuttal. The vice presidential candidates also had a chance to make opening and closing statements and answer questions.
“I wish we had a bigger turnout,” said Weinberg senior Demetrius Harrison, who has worked in Norris during his time at NU.
Though Harrison is graduating, he said he was interested in the changes the elected president would make next year.
Late Monday night, both candidates received campaign violation penalties for “non-respectful discourse” from the commission for messages released earlier that afternoon. The violations were not mentioned in the debates.
Instead, both candidates focused on specific platform issues. They also had the opportunity to ask questions of the opposition. Manti and Thompson-Harvey asked Lew and Kawashima how they planned to achieve their platform’s goals and how Lew had increased ASG’s publicity on campus; Lew and Kawashima asked Manti and Thompson-Harvey how they planned to eliminate any need for student services and raise $300,000.In their closing statements, Manti emphasized a “fresh approach” in student government and giving ASG a public face, while Lew said her campaign’s ideas and push for collaboration would help them follow through on their vision.
Weinberg sophomore Mayra Garcia said she came to get to know the candidates.
“I didn’t really know the candidates well,” Garcia said. “I wanted to see how they answered questions and just really hear them speak.”
– LARK TURNER
