Updated brief coming soon. More information on candidates and their platforms can be found here.
Vice President for Academic Affairs
The candidates all discussed the importance of holding the administration accountable.
Eckman highlighted the need for restructuring general university requirements, specifically mentioning the high failure rate for Math 112, and called for more student input.
McCaffery said Western should be focusing on hiring more faculty and addressing bottlenecks, rather than on hiring administration.
Molloy called for creating a student union, which he said would be distinct from the AS, calling it bureaucratic. He said he wanted to get rid of the vice president for academic affairs position altogether and instead have a student senate that would match the power of the Faculty Senate.
Eckman and Solana-Walkinshaw agreed there should be a student senate. Solana-Walkinshaw said if elected, he would support the restructure started by the current AS Board of Directors.
McCaffery said unionization is a fascinating idea, but that there is already an issue getting students to engage and apply to committees. He said the focus should be on showing students already existing opportunities.
Solana-Walkinshaw said he wants to be available for students, and would table once a week in Red Square if elected. In response to McCaffery, he said the AS is already like a union, which McCaffery disagreed with, calling the AS bureaucratic.
The candidates agreed academic advising was an issue. Eckman said a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in terms of general university requirements and there need to be more individual advising plans.
Solana-Walkinshaw agreed and said increasing funding may not be realistic, so resources need to be consolidated and there should be more outreach from offices that advise students.
At one point, Molloy called for housing affordability.
McCaffery responded, saying, “I don’t know of any housing committee that this [position] oversees though.”
When asked about commitment to people with disabilities, McCaffery said he has an uncle with a physical disability and thinks it’s important to address loose bricks and elevator maintenance. He mentioned an AS Review article about elevator breakdowns.
When asked about commitment to people with disabilities on campus, VP for Academic Affairs candidate Kyle McCaffery said accessibility is important. McCaffery cited an AS Review article and said elevators have broken down 40 times since 2015.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
FACT CHECK: Since 2015, 161 instances of elevator malfunctions have been reported to University Police or maintenance https://t.co/laWlLIbmXK
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Candidate Levi Eckman said disabilities aren’t just physical, and how to support all students with disabilities must be considered. Jacob Molloy said he would need to learn more. Noble Solana-Walkinshaw said underfunding and understaffing of disability resources must be addressed
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Vice President for Activities
Moving into debate for VP for Activities candidates Ama Monkah and Jarrod Stambaugh. When asked about how they would balance funding, Stambaugh said communication is important and Monkah said clubs should be able to fairly and equitably access funds and be able to fundraise.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Asked about specific goals, Stambaugh said the website needs to be improved, as students have trouble finding clubs. He said he wants clubs to “leave that digital space” and increase the physical dissemination of materials or improve the website.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Monkah said the AS Review should be used to get the word out about clubs, and freshmen should be encouraged to join clubs through the dorms.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Candidates asked about how they would address @WWU‘s history of cultural appropriation. Monkah said an open discussion/forum about what it means would help. Stambaugh calls it a “curveball question” and says a lot that work lies outside the role of the VP for Activities.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Vice President for Governmental Affairs
AS VP for Governmental Affairs candidates Hunter Eider and Natasha Hessami are now up.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Eider is currently AS VP for Academic Affairs, and said he wants to be in a position that allows for more tangible action. Hessami said she has lobbied on the state and local level for issues such as fully funding the State Need Grant.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Eider said it’s important for students to vote in local elections and would create a parody music video to Rock the Boat by Aaliyah, called “Rock the Vote” and has already started thinking of lyrics.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Hessami said she doesn’t have a song, but wants to get people engaged with issues that matter to them.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
When asked about support for ethnic studies, Eider said he is involved in WWU Students for Ethnic Studies and that it’s important for students to know their history. Hessami said as a STEM major, she doesn’t get the most diverse education, and that she supports the push.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Vice President for Student Life
VP or Student Life candidates now up. Brendan O’Neill is current Residence Hall Association president. He said he’s running because campus has become numb to discrimination on campus. Anne Lee is a current RA who was involved in the RA movement last year.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Lee brought up increasing campus security. Both candidates mentioned focusing on gender-inclusive housing.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
O’Neill said he is working on program like HAVEN that would focus on the LGBTQ community on campus and combat stigma. Both candidates said they will continue to educate themselves. Lee said she will talk to students and the Queer Resource Center to do this.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
An RA wrote in a question about continuing the RA movement. O’Neill said he is aware of the issues and has heared what RAs need. “I have the best of both worlds, as Hannah Montana once said,” he said about how he gets to work with a number of people, including RAs & admin.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Lee said she helped write the RAs’ letter to administrators and was highly involved in the RA movement. She wants to prepare RAs to live in gender-inclusive housing and speak to students about their identities, as well as ensure pay increases.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Lee said diversity is a thrown-around word, and there needs to be more training for RAs on how to support residents with different marginalized identities. “I don’t think we need to hire more diverse RAs, I think we need to have more diverse trainings,” she said. O’Neill agrees.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Discussing accessibility, O’Neill brings up inaccessible door knobs, elevators and dorms, like the Ridge dorms that don’t have elevators. “If we have residents who cannot make it up to their dorms, who cannot make it to our events, then we are failing our residents,” he said.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Lee also mentioned inaccessibility of the Ridge and also brings up lighting and dorm security. She said administration must be held accountable to promises they make on these points.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Lee said ESC clubs are currently exploited for their knowledge. She said she’ll continue to build relationship with clubs after election. O’Neill said he’s gone to ESC clubs as a student, not a candidate, and wants to be “megaphone” for voices w/o taking over students’ movements.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Unopposed: President, Vice President for Business and Operations, Vice President for Diversity
Unopposed candidates now speaking. Genaro Meza, running for VP for business and operations, said he is opposed to raising student fees unless it is a last resort. He said he has experience with business, such as by being a wedding photographer, and as an economics major.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Asked how she would represent all students, Millka Solomon, running unopposed for president, said she will ask students working around specific issues if they would like to be present at meetings with admin and will stay updated on their work.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
“Show us the receipts,” Camilla Mejia, running for VP for diversity, said about holding administration accountable to their statements. Earlier, Mejia said she will make sure the history of student labor behind the Multicultural Center is not forgotten.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Solomon discussed retention of students of color, saying Western needs to have more services to support them. She also said faculty who are resources for students of color are overworked and need more support.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018
Meza was asked about why students should have confidence in him given he’s the only candidate for the VP for business and operations position. “Over 15,000 people and I’m the only one who ran. That should be reason enough,” he responded.
— The AS Review (@TheASReview) April 26, 2018