CANDIDATES HAVE THEIR SAY
One candidate wants to improve the shuttles, another wants to negotiate with a nonexistent Sears over parking space and the third wants to add skateboards to campus life.
The associated student government (ASG) presidency is down to the three candidates: Brian Tansil, Denish Oleke and Long Thanh “Harry” Phan, each of whom brought their own flavor of leadership to the open forum on April 25. For those of you who missed out on the debate, here are the facts.
Tansil was the first to speak and started by touting his position as the leader of the Fencing Club, saying that it is his open heart, compassion, people skills and communication skills that make him a good choice for the presidency. He went on to say those qualities would make him an effective leader and stressed that if he were elected, he would improve shuttle services and parking.
The second candidate to speak was Oleke, who said that while SCC has many resources, he believes they are mismanaged, listing dead outlets, broken microwaves and inconveniently located bike racks as examples. Under his presidency, he said he would fix the broken electronics and relocate the bike racks to more strategic locations so students would not be encumbered in their daily lives. Above all else Oleke said he would work to be “a bridge between students and their success.”
The last presidential hopeful was Phan, who started his speech off by asking the audience to ignore the article written about him in the last issue of the Ebbtide, saying it did not accurately reflect who he was. Phan paced the stage and went on to propose a variety of projects such as utilizing various color palettes to improve the mood on campus as well as some other ideas that he would introduce in time. He said his ability to adapt, as well as manage his time and stress, were key skills that would make him a good ASG president.
After opening remarks, the audience members were able to ask the candidates for clarification.
Tansil said he would tackle the lack of parking by repainting and expanding the school’s current campus parking lot. He also said he would ensure that the shuttle bus expands its schedule for operation earlier in the day and during summer quarter.
Oleke promised to talk with Sears about getting more parking spaces for students, but upon being informed that Sears has closed, he said he would need to research the issue more before giving a definitive answer.
Phan was even more vague on the issue of transportation but proposed setting up a system of renting out skateboards or bikes so that students could get to class faster. Upon being questioned further about the idea of using skateboards, Phan said that he would need to look into the matter more.
Each candidate brings with them their own leadership style and their own values, whether they be Tansil’s experience, Oleke’s resourcefulness or Phan’s imagination.
But ultimately the choice comes down to you, the voter, on what kind of changes you want to see around campus and who would be able to bring them about.
You can use your ID and PIN number to vote with a smartphone or computer at the polling stations around campus through May 9.
