Presidential candidates lack debate and audience
Denni Toneva
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News
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Both candidates actively engaged in answering the questions put forth by the moderator; however, the atmosphere did not hold the usual tension of a political debate. "It was more a statement of intentions rather than a debate," junior Jennice Ontiveros said. It was not a point for point thing."
"I was disappointed with the student turnout. I do not think people realize how important the presidential election really is and how much power we are giving to one person," Ontiveros said.
The two candidates started out with introductions and a quick brief of their Senate careers thus far. Papa has spent a total of six semesters on Senate, holding three different positions as Minority Caucus co-chair, Campus Relations Director and President. While Seinfeld has spent less time in student government holding two positions as Campus Relations Director and Student Body Representative, he stressed the fact that he was no less experienced than Papa when he first ran for president.
Seinfeld started out by stating that he is inspired by the students currently at Whittier College and that he appreciates the enthusiasm of the first-year class. He emphasized that his most important aim as president is going to be to find out what student concerns are and then taking steps to address them. He spent a lot of time discussing the Student Bill of Rights and stressing the importance of advocacy when it comes to incidents and student dealings with Campus Safety. He said that implementing the Bill of Rights will be one of his foremost projects as President. His previous successes and accomplishments include Snow Jams and the Poet Pit which he stressed as a very important part of building school spirit. He intends to focus on expanding the Poet Pit aiming to get students more involved on campus, not only in athletic events but other activities as well. One of Seinfeld's concerns was that the current Executive Board has not focused enough on student needs and has rather spent more time on their own procedures and perks.
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