Debate heats up USG elections
Presidential tickets meet the public

By HOPE CALDWELL
and BETH YOUNG
Collegian Staff Writers

The classroom in Waring Commons was transformed last night from an empty room filled with dusty chairs into a defeaning debating hall of political campaign fervor.

Debating opponents were the presidential candidates -- USG Senate President Josh Bokee with running mate Kerith Strano, secretary general of Penn State United Nations Conference 1995, and USG Supreme Court Chief Justice Corey O'Brien with Kara Annechini, former president of Kappa Alpha Theta, 10 Wolf.

The debate opened with statements from the O'Brien and Annechini campaign.

"We are here to break the mold at Penn State, we're here to get solutions, we're here for change and we're here to solve problems no one wants to address," O'Brien said. He added that they are there to get the job done.

Strano began her opening remarks explaining that the Bokee/Strano ticket is offering students services they need like the free Loop and phones outside residence halls.

"We will be held accountable for everything we do because we believe in what we do," Strano said.

Issues from bike racks to sexual assault were at the center of the debate between candidates.

Questions were fielded by a panel including Officer William Moerschbacher from University Police Services, who asked about adequate bike racks. The other panelists consisted of student counselor Sue Gerberg and Patty Johnstone, assistant director for the Center for Women's Studies, who raised a question about women's concerns.

When asked by Gerberg to address Gov. Tom Ridge's proposed cut for state grants to the University, Bokee and Strano said their platform includes more efficient student lobbying and working with the administration's full-time lobbyist.

"The people being hurt are the people not able to afford education," Strano said.

O'Brien explained that he had lobbied successfully in the past for another organization outside of the University.

"There is one ticket that has the experience and that's this ticket -- we know how to lobby," O'Brien said. He added that lobbyists need to target legislatures in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.

Members of the audience submitted a question concerning suppport for minority campus groups. Both campaigns agreed that the USG needs to work with leaders of all minority organizations.

After each speech the crowd responded enthusiastically about the ideas discussed. Head Elections Commissioner Steve Castor said nothing in this campaign is so radically different to allure students to attend election events.

"One thing I'm really disappointed in is the makeup of the audience, it seemed like everyone was a supporter of one of the tickets -- there didn't seem to be too many undecided people in the room," Castor said.

He said the commission has such limited resources of people concerning publicity, "it's a shame for it to come down to sound bites in the media and campaign posters."

Collegian Staff Writer Megan Donley contributed to this report