Candidates for president of Undergraduate Student Government Downtown traded critiques on policy and experience during Thursday’s USGD debate.
Current USGD President Frank Smith touted his year of experience as president and accomplishments during his term in front of about 20 students in attendance.
“This position has a six-month learning curve, but I’ve already beat that position outlook,” Smith said. “So, I actually know what to do. I’ve been talking to the students, and I feel like I definitely have what it takes to be president of the Undergraduate Student Government. I did it once, I’ll do it again.”
Alexis Kramer, Smith’s challenger and current Walter Cronkite School senator, renewed her call for a more open and inclusive student government.
“No executive meetings should be held behind closed doors because we’re representing you,” Kramer said. “We want to welcome you on board with us.”
Kramer hammered Smith on what she said was a lack of collaboration between Smith and current USGD senators. She pointed to her endorsements from five of the seven current senators not involved in the campaigns as proof of tensions between the USGD Senate and its president.
Smith said he holds himself and his senators to a high standard and attempted to reach out to them.
“I never said I’d be a perfect man or a perfect president,” Smith said. “I’ve definitely learned a lot within my first term as student body president. I’ve seen how I can adjust my leadership style.”
The candidates also quarreled over the issue of student tuition. Smith took some credit for the lack of in-state tuition increases this past year and said he will continue to advocate against future tuition increases for both in-state and out-of-state students.
Kramer said Smith does not deserve the credit for the tuition and pointed to the hurried vote on an athletic fee increase last year as example of a fee increase passed during his term.
Kramer said she did not have enough time to inform students of the bill before the vote.
“That’s not fair to you, the constituents, to not be aware of it,” Kramer said. “How could I present this information to you when I’m still receiving revised bills the day of?”
Both candidates said they would increase transparency within USGD.
Smith’s Vice President of Policy candidate Sally Lopez emphasized their campaign’s promise to create a policy app that will educate students on state legislation.
“Students that are really passionate about a certain bill, they can go out there and really lobby to the legislators,” Lopez said.
Ryan Boyd, Kramer’s vice president of policy, said his emphasis would be on strengthening student organizations.
“I want to have a position where I can basically create the conditions for more student organizations to succeed, for more students to be able to do what they want,” Boyd said.
Both Vice President of Services candidates, Corina Tapscott and Windsor Smith, also highlighted the need to strengthen student organizations.
Smith said after the debate that he believed his campaign deflected the attacks of the Kramer campaign during the debates.
“It seemed like it was more like they were trying to attack us, but we were like, ‘No, we are going to take the higher route,’” Smith said. “Because we definitely want to show the students that we are the bigger people, we are mature and we definitely have what it takes to be in this position.”
Kramer said Smith failed to demonstrate the inclusiveness required of a student government president during the debate.
“It’s situations like (this debate) where we also want students to hear the importance of where our current administration is,” Kramer said. “A lot of ‘I’s’ that were discussed, it shouldn’t happen in student government. We need to talk about teamwork.”
Contact the reporter at agnel.philip@asu.edu
