Candidates make final pitch

Less than twenty-four hours before students will be able to vote online for next year’s Student Government representatives, fourteen of the twenty-three potentials gathered in the Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade for “Meet the Candidates.”The forum, sponsored by the Office of Student Activities, gave students-potential voters-a chance to hear what each candidate plans to do if elected. “This is a good opportunity for your candidates to discuss their platform,” said Jerry Alva in his welcome to the students.Alva, the Director of Student Activities and official sponsor of Student Government, mentioned that the forum was optional for the candidates and expressed contentment at the ones who showed up.”We have a good group of candidates here,” he said. “Our goal is to help out students as much as possible.”As is usually the case at TAMIU, students who vote will find only one name on the ballot for some positions, including Senator for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. This year, that name is Martin Gonzalez. “I listen to the students. I’m here for you,” said Gonzalez at the forum. The number of senate seats per college is determined by the number of students registered. This year, the A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business has four seats with two candidates running. The two candidates are Alicia Ruiz and Adriana Jimenez. Adriana, who came to TAMIU from Monterrey, Mexico, said she wants to expand internship opportunities and hire more full-time marketing professors. “[Internships] translate learning into action, action into experiences, experiences into professional development,” said Adriana. When it was her turn to speak, Ruiz, without elaborating, stated, “There are problems in the school of business. It is my intent to fix these problems.”For the College of Arts and Sciences, there are seven spots and five candidates. One attended: Luis A. Stagg, a current COAS Senator and the President of the Campus Activities Board. Stagg was appointed earlier this semester, and this is the first time he’s run for office. He said he wants to improve relations between SG and the general student body. The other candidates are incumbents Alfredo Jimenez and Annibal Jimenez and newcomers Anuron Mandal and Christina Treviño.One of the competitive races in this election is for Senator At-Large. At-large senators, unlike college-specific senators, represent all students. Four spots are up for grabs with five candidates. Cynthia Gallardo, Karla Garcia, Manuel Marquez, and Juan Sebastian Mendive attended. Gallardo is the only one not already an incumbent. Incumbent Alfredo Jimenez, who earlier this semester contemplated a run for president, did not attend. In their opening statements, the senators all touched on one common theme: the need for student spirit and pride in TAMIU. Aside from that, Gallardo promised accessibility; Garcia stressed helping students with disabilities, and Mendive said he wants to “enhance the international part of the university” by getting international students more involved on campus. As the moderator of the event, Alva asked questions to the candidates in the competitive races. He asked them what issues affect students right now, to which only Sen. Marquez answered rising tuition and fees. “There is a tuition and fee committee that any member of SG can be a part of,” said Marquez, “We can explain what’s happening to tuition and fees.”Over on the judicial branch, Helen Ruiz, Ruby Rocha, and Ilse Navarro all seek the position of Justice At-Large (two openings).Generally, the judicial branch mediates inter and intra-branch disputes and interprets the constitution among other things. This semester, there has been talk of making the judicial branch part of a university court which would oversee cases involving plagiarism and other violations of the honor code. Also present were candidates for the top two executive seats, SG President and Vice President. In a campaign that has drawn a lot of attention, Christine Cortez and Ana Castañeda are up against SG newcomer Guillermo “Memo” Huerta and Annalie Miravete. The two tickets have actively campaigned with posters and campaign sites on Facebook and Myspace. For the past two days, people dressed as cartoon characters have been going around campus passing Huerta shirts. Miravete, current Senator At-Large, said she wants to be vice president in order to give back to the university community. Castañeda did not attend. A graduate student, Cortez works on campus as a First Year Success Mentor, an experience she says made her want to run. “Seeing them grow and seeing the impact I had in students’ lives makes me want to help as many students as I can,” Cortez said. Huerta started his remarks by both acknowledging his lack of experience and praising that of Cortez.”I don’t have a lot of experience doing this,” said Huerta, “and I know that raised doubts in all of you. It is thanks to people like Christine that SG is where it is, people who are dedicated and motivated. But I think we all deserve a chance to be part of this.”Asked by Alva what the number one challenge facing students is, Cortez brought up the issue of pride again, citing her current work in that area. “We (justices) have taken the role, almost as senators, in starting the first ever Dusty Cup, which is going to start a new tradition for students,” she said. Also echoing a common theme from the forum, Huerta said accessibility to the students would be paramount to him should he win. Alva then asked each to admit their biggest weakness. Huerta responded by bringing up his desire to run in the first place. “I have too much energy. I have too much time to spare. I want to use it for good,” he said. Cortez, on the other hand, said her biggest weakness was “taking everything to heart,” which she believed could also be a strength. “I can’t solve all six-thousand students’ problems, but I’ll make it my personal mission to try. Rest assured, I’m going to try my best,” she said. The two candidates ended by pledging to increase SG’s responsiveness to the students. Cortez promised focus groups to assess students’ concerns while Huerta said he would make sure every student knows what SG is. “Even if I have to walk around with a poster with all our faces on it,” he said. Student Government elections begin at 8 a.m. Wed. April 15 and end at 5 p.m. April 17. Students may vote at onecard.tamiu.edu.