Student body elects new leaders; Executive VP prepares for runoff

Student Body President: Angela Cobian

Financial Vice President: Mark Giannetti

Constitutional Vice President: Sarai Ornelas

Student Concerns Vice President: Becca Spiegal

Executive Vice President Runoff Candidate: Stephanie Coba

Executive Vice President Runoff Candidate: Marie Blanc

As the end of the year approaches, the Colorado College Student Government Association (CCSGA) is in the process of transitioning its executive leadership. Campaign posters and CCSGA events have been flooding the CC campus as ten students race to represent the student body for the 2010-2011 school year. 

CCSGA held an open candidate forum on Tuesday, March 2nd in East Rastall, where the candidates were asked several questions regarding their platforms and ideas to better the CC community in the upcoming year. 25 students attended the event.

Ten candidates took part in this forum and competed for five executive positions: President of the Student Body, Executive Vice President, Constitutional Vice President, Financial Vice President and Vice President of Student Concerns.

Angela Cobian ran unopposed for President of the Student Body. 

Marie Blanc, Stephanie Coba and Alexis Johnson all ran for Executive Vice President, the position primarily responsible for overseeing student appointments to all-college committees. Because no candidate won 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff on Monday, March 8 between Blanc and Coba.

Emily Moore and Sarai Ornelas both ran for Constitutional Vice President, the position responsible for mediating between student groups on campus and upholding the CC Constitution. Ornelas won the position of Constitutional Vice President. 

Alexandra Epstein and Mark Giannetti both ran for Financial Vice President, the position responsible for student group budget allocation and CCSGA finances. Giannetti won the position of Financial Vice President.

Mariegrace Veres and Becca Spiegel ran for Vice President of Student Concerns, the position responsible for student advocacy and responding to the needs of the student population. Spiegel won the position of Vice President of Student Concerns.

At the beginning of the forum, students were given the opportunity to introduce themselves before being asked questions prepared in advance by the Election Commission. 

Led by current CCSGA President David Carlson, the Election Commission consisted of four students total: David Carlson, Logan Dahl, Anna Johnson and Bailey Terhune. These students were responsible for advertising the positions, organizing the candidate forum and objectively overseeing the overall election process.

Several questions and topics were addressed during the forum. While each candidate offered different ideas, four pledges were predictably consistent among the ten candidates: to increase awareness on campus about student group chartering and financing, to foster a more diverse community, to make the student voice heard and to increase sustainability on campus.

The first question was for the Financial Vice President candidates and was in regards to the special event funding process on campus. Giannetti said that as Financial Vice President, he would like to hold two blocks of workshops to teach student groups about budgeting and applying for recognition and chartership. He mentioned that he would like to start a cultural event fund.

“We have a very diverse group of people on this campus… There’s a lacking of a certain type of funding on this campus to support those people: cultural event funding,” said Giannetti. 

Epstein noted that she would like to increase overall awareness on campus about the funding process. She also said that she would like to raise money for special events by hosting blockly fundraising events like dinners or concerts at the Carriage House. 

The candidates for Constitutional Vice President were asked how they would help student groups maintain themselves. Moore stated that she wanted to “encourage student groups to get recognized and chartered” and that student group liaisons need to “be on their toes at all times.” 

Ornelas agreed and added that she would teach the student group liaison to set a coherent agenda for their group so that there is organization within the group all year.

The Vice President of Student Concerns candidates spoke passionately about how many CC students are not informed about campus happenings. Veres stated “students need to be more informed.”

Spiegel responded in a similar fashion, adding that she would like to “find a way for everyone to know what’s going on on campus, even if they aren’t actively involved.”

When asked how CCSGA representatives could improve the website, several candidates had tangible ideas. 

“There should be a stronger commission between CCSGA members and its constituencies. I think we should have real time messaging on the CCSGA website where a representative is always available to answer students’ questions,” said Coba.

Johnson suggested that the website have a blog that debriefs the CCSGA meetings and allows for student feedback. “The website is a valuable resource that’s not being used.” 

Finally, Presidential candidate Cobian was asked how she would balance the need for financial aid with the budget problems the college faces. 

“As an ex-officio of the Budget Committee, I would be very conscientious of which student to appoint to the Budget Committee. The Board of Trustees heavily relies on student input,” Cobian said. “As a student on financial aid, there’s no way in heck I’d let it diminish, but I understand the budget strains the college faces.”

After the Election Commission asked these pre-written questions, students in the audience were able to ask any questions they had for the candidates. 

Junior Sloan Danenhower asked the Vice President of Student Concerns candidates to speak about the overall student sentiment regarding the newly built Cornerstone Arts Complex and where the college should next allocate its resources. 

Veres stated that her peers have voiced their dissatisfaction with Cornerstone and that they would have rather seen the funds allocated somewhere else on campus that has more traffic. Veres also said that she would hold a forum for CC students as Vice President of Student Concerns so that students can share their opinions regarding the future allocation of resources. 

Spiegel echoed Veres’ response, stating that “students are upset that Cornerstone doesn’t get used much for central events on campus”. She said that the school’s next focus should be the library, which she thinks needs to be more comprehensive and interactive. 

Sophomore Connie Jiang, CCSGA’s current Financial Vice President, expressed her concerns about the CCSGA Finance Committee being labeled as a “party planning committee” rather than a group that contributes to important campus groups and events. 

Giannetti responded to Jiang’s concerns by stating that the Finance Committee sponsors events that are popular on campus, even if they are parties. “We’re funding student events that people go to,” Giannetti said. “What it comes down to is responding to the great, creative, unique ideas that the vast majority of CC students want to go to.”

Finally, junior Jacquie Tilden posed a question to the Executive Vice President candidates asking them how they would act as a liaison between the students and the administration of the college.

“I would take advantage of the chain of command that being on CCSGA offers to connect with the administration,” said Veres. 

Coba proposed that she would hold roundtable discussions facilitated by CCSGA that student and department representatives could be a part of in order to facilitate dialogue between students and faculty. 

Voting for these five executive positions took place on Thursday, March 5th in Worner Center and via email. The runoff election for Executive Vice President will take place on Monday, March 8 from 7am – 7pm. 

When asked what her main concern would be as CCSGA President, Cobian said, “I’d like to create a more cohesive community. As we get farther into our college career, our social groups tend to crystallize. We need a collective consciousness on this campus between student groups, departments, and classes.”