News
Council comes out swinging in round one of debates
The presidential candidates had their first taste of the hot seat Wednesday night.
University Students’ Council candidates — Marshall Goldfarb, Matt Hyland, Ray Park, Jeff Rutledge, Mike Tithecott and Matthijs van Gaalen — had their first debate in council chambers.
The USC grilled candidates on everything from which animal they would be, to what they would do about the Spoke’s current financial difficulties.
Presidential candidates were also pitted against each other when Andrew Beach, Huron councillor, bluntly asked: “Which one of you can honestly do this job and which of you can’t?”
Goldfarb’s lack of experience suffered criticism from most candidates, but he described himself in a more positive light, as a candidate who could offer “fresh perspective.”
In response to Beach’s question, Tithecott noted, “No one here is ready for this job; you’re running a $22 million company.”
Others cited their experience on the Senate as preparation for the job. Park pointed out his work as a Senator, including his current work on the mid-term policy. Van Gaalen discussed motions he had successfully passed, including the Remembrance Day policy. Hyland credited his self-confidence as noteworthy experience, alongside his work as a Senator.
Finally, Rutledge said his financial experience would be an asset in the next year, as many contracts will be coming under review. “None of us would be running if we didn’t believe we could do it,” he added.
The Spoke proved to be a sticking point for much of the debate. At one point, Tithecott described the financial struggles of the Spoke by saying the campus bar was “hemorrhaging” money.
Van Gaalen suggested cheap beer nights, and Goldfarb thought the Hype Team — a USC promotional group — could excite students about Spoke events. Hyland suggested making the tavern competitive with Richmond Row on Friday and Saturday nights. Rutledge felt financial projections for the Spoke were too high.
Both Tithecott and Park explained part of the Spoke dilemma was not just about revenues, but was also about the type of students who were using the lounge space.
Park wanted to create a committee composed of students who represented demographic groups that were not attracted to the Spoke, and allow them to discuss how the Spoke could be made more appealing.
Tithecott also saw the need to attract different students to the Spoke, while explaining he had a soft spot for the student hang out.
“My mom worked there. I would hate to see it close,” he said.
Students will get their next chance to hear the candidates at 12 p.m. today in the Atrium for the media forum hosted by the Gazette.
Although I think this article tries to cover everything that was discussed at the first round of the debates I think it fails to report many of the criticisms and concerns raised by council members about the candidates. For example, while the article mentions that Mr. Goldfarb received criticism, it fails to mention that the comments made were not only about his lack of experience, but also about his work on the now banned STUDENT magazine. This magazine upset many due to its article content and representations of women. As well both Mr. Goldfarb and Mr. Hyland received criticism from representatives of the Greek community that were not mentioned in the article.
Including criticisms made about the candidates and how different individuals responded to questions students themselves would ask would provide the student body with much more information to make an informed decision. For the next article concerning the debates and forums, I would love to see much more thorough articles in order to provide students a more thorough account of what happens at debates they do not have the opportunity to go to.