USG presidential election forum to incorporate debate

Student government elections are upon us once again, but this year's USG presidential race may be a little different.

Instead of the usual election forum, candidates may participate in a debate that pits them directly against one another — a shift members of the USG say would focus attention on the candidates' ideas rather than just their reputations.

Both USG president Nina Langsam '03 and treasurer Mike Kimberly '03 said the current election process encourages a reliance on name recognition rather than candidates' views on issues.

"So much of election is based on names. It'd be great if we could bring more issues into it and interest people," Langsam said.

After the USG Senate meeting Sunday, Langsam said she and other officers decided to integrate debate into the existing forum after the entire senate discussed three possibilities to improve the current election format.

The first possibility would leave the election process as is. The second possibility was to have a debate in addition to the existing forum. The USG could have sponsored the debate itself or with another group, or leave it to the independent group.

A motion by U-Councilor Jeff Vinikoor '03 to support the two-event idea was defeated 9-8 at the meeting.

"Rather than leaving the forum as the dysfunctional mess, it is now and adding the debate, [the Senate] would rather have us fix the forum," Kimberly said.

The existing forum usually takes place in a lecture hall, such as Frist 302. Each candidate is given two to four minutes for a speech, and then the floor is open to questions. The forum lasts a few hours and is broadcast on Tigervision.

"It's never been a really public event," Langsam said. "We'd like to make the process more interesting and attract more people."

Langsam said very few people come to the forum, other than the candidates and their supporters, adding that such a trend has made it necessary to change the forum.

"We'll be marketing it as more exciting and flashy," Langsam said.

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The Senate's main concern was to reform the forum and refrain from having two separate events, Kimberly said.

The main problem was that students did not take it seriously, he said. With 35 people speaking on uninteresting topics, the forum was generally meaningless, he added.

As a result, the new forum will cut a good portion of the candidates' time and give that time over to debate. The change may mean that the senatorial candidates will not have an opportunity to give speeches.

USG officers differed over the merits of having debate as opposed to a more informal question-and-answer period.

"As far as talking about the issues, that's great. More questions from the audience and more answers from the candidates will allow the constituency to be more involved," said Sonya Mirbagheri '04, USG vice president.

The debate will "help students get a better idea about who the candidates are, their issues and their qualifications," she added.

USG senator Pettus Randall '04 also highlighted the need for more student involvement.

"We need to work together to find whatever way we can to expand the participation of the student body," he said. "Maybe expand the question-and-answer time and give the students the opportunity to ask questions pertinent to their interests."

While Langsam endorsed the debate, she said choosing a president should also be based on other criteria.

"I don't think being a good debater is a requirement for president," she said. "It's useful, but not necessary. You want to be able to convince people, yes . . . but ultimately, it's a dialogue.

The Organization of Women Leaders was interested in cosponsoring a debate with the USG, but has instead scheduled its own debate for Dec. 5 at 8:30 p.m., Kimberly said.

The USG debate is scheduled for Dec. 3 at 9 p.m.