VIEWPOINT: Vote MForward for MSA

The Michigan Student Assembly has gotten off to a very successful start this year. With MSA elections this Wednesday and Thursday, now is a great time to learn about what MSA has been doing on campus. Prior to last year, MSA had been inefficient and slow to respond to student needs, in part because MSA members were concerned with political posturing. Last year, then MSA President Chris Armstrong demanded more from the assembly and began the process of making MSA more relevant to students’ lives. Many members of MForward, a student advocacy group on campus and an MSA party, supported Armstrong’s initiatives.

I joined MForward the semester after Armstrong was elected. I was drawn to it because it had already begun to produce the results that it had promised, and I wanted to contribute. Under MForward’s lead, MSA helped secure Saturday night dining in residence halls, held a massive Lupe Fiasco benefit concert and began the process of having regular Farmers’ Markets in the Michigan Union. MSA also won a more inclusive University Housing roommate policy that is fairer for transgender and gender non-conforming students and has already been implemented.

This year, I have been pleased to see MForward continue to improve MSA under President DeAndree Watson. Watson and his team hosted a tailgate before the Notre Dame night game and provided food and fun to more than 8,000 students. Under his leadership, MForward members have hosted many other student service events on campus such as a housing rights awareness week and a fair trade awareness week. MForward supporters, including myself, have also worked to reduce the internal costs of MSA so that we can redirect more money to fund student organizations. Some of us have renewed lobbying efforts at the state and local levels by working with the city of Ann Arbor to maintain its pedestrian protection laws and by lobbying the state to pass anti-bullying legislation and provide more money for higher education.

MForward can achieve these great things because, unlike other parties before us, we work together on a daily basis to improve student life. When I want to initiate a project, I know I can count on my fellow MForward members to assist me in those endeavors. This semester, MForward is running an exciting group of students who I not only look forward to working with, but also know will serve the campus well in continuing the progress that MForward has already started. They have already affirmed their commitment to providing transparency and advocating for student needs and are full of ideas on how to make the University a better place.

The MForward candidates in this election have excellent goals, both large and small. For example, DPS Oversight Committee candidate Freshman Lucy Zhao will work with the Department of Public Safety to ensure that crime alerts are consistently sent out in a timely manner to promote student safety and awareness on campus. LSA candidate Freshman Angela Jung will strive to better the relationship between MSA and students by ensuring that there is a larger student government presence at events across campus. Finally, Engineering candidates Freshman Andy Modell and Freshman Saketh Samaymantri will work collaboratively to improve the bus system and ensure that Parking and Transportation Services has student input when making decisions. These are just a few examples of the numerous projects the current MForward candidates hope to work on in the coming semester.

I encourage you to vote in the upcoming MSA elections tomorrow and Thursday. I cannot overstate the importance of your participation. MSA works with the University all year on your behalf, so we need to hear your voice as students. Voting is also easy — just go to vote.umich.edu to cast your vote tomorrow. I also encourage you to go to MForward.org, where you can find the extended platforms and bios of the candidates that have joined MForward this semester.

Louis Mirante is a sophomore in LSA, an MSA representative and a member of MForward.

November 13th, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MFORWARD OPPOSES DPS DECISION TO DELAY EAST QUAD CRIME ALERT

Ann Arbor, MI — Today, MForward leadership and candidates unanimously opposed the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety’s decision to not immediately notify East Quad residents of an assault that was reported in the building.

On Friday, the Michigan Daily reported that on November 1st, a student informed DPS that she had been assaulted in East Quad on October 30th. The Michigan Daily continued to report that DPS chose not to immediately issue a crime alert because the incident had happened two days prior. Instead, an alert was sent to students over a week later.

MForward certainly supports the recent increase in crime alert usage because it is vital that students are consistently notified of serious incidents that occur on campus.  It is imperative that students expect to be informed when an assault has occurred in their vicinity.

“The Department of Public Safety should immediately notify students of a serious crime when it is reported, whether it occurred ten minutes ago or a week ago” said Lucy Zhao, MForward candidate for the DPS Oversight Committee. “As we saw this summer, attackers often strike again in a similar fashion and it is vital that students are always aware of incidents occurring on campus” she said.

MForward Representatives and members of the DPS Oversight Committee will continue to work with the Department to ensure that students remain safe on and off campus. Given the recent increase in assaults on and around campus, improved notification systems are vital for protecting University students.

Contacts:

Sean Walser
swalser@umich.edu
734.274.9101

Will Butler
webutler@umich.edu
248.821.0841

###

November 7th, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MFORWARD ANNOUCES CANDIDATE SLATE FOR FALL ELECTIONS

Ann Arbor, MI—MForward is proud to announce the following students as candidates running on its 2011 fall election ticket, each of whom are seeking to represent their respective schools/constituencies on the Michigan Student Assembly.

College of Literature, Science, and Arts
Angela Jung

College of Engineering
Andrew Modell
Saketh Samaymantri
Teja Ravipati

School of Information
Anand Geetey

School of Art and Design
Brittlyn Tyler

College of Pharmacy
Eric Zhao

DPS Oversight Committee
Lucy Zhao

Party Chair Sean Walser said that he is “pleased and honored for these remarkable individuals to join the MForward community and continue that progress that we have started over the past year and half advocating for student needs.”

This year’s elections take place on November 16 & 17. MForward candidates and staff will spend the next two weeks communicating with individual students and campus organizations on how to make the University of Michigan a better place.

Contacts:

Sean Walser
swalser@umich.edu
734.274.9101

Will Butler
webutler@umich.edu
248.821.0841

###

VIEWPOINT: Learn about MForward’s goals

In less than two weeks, the Michigan Student Assembly will be holding its fall elections to fill college vacancies. On Nov. 16 and 17 students will have a choice of who they want to represent them ontheir assembly. They will decide who will be their voice in arbitration with the University. Since its creation a year and a half ago, MForward has been proud and grateful for the opportunity to advocate on behalf of all students.

So just what is MForward? MForward is more than just a political party — it is a mindset, a way of thinking and an approach to addressing student problems, both big and small, more effectively and creatively than any student party before it. At its core, it is a diverse set of leaders and representatives, bound together by a common goal of both aggressive and progressive policy, a strong ideal of transparency and inclusiveness and a foundation of advocacy for student interests.

MForward has worked hard to continually better the relationship between individual students and the University. Our numerous accomplishments have spoken for that. We have implemented the recently ratified MSA constitution — solidifying three distinct branches and bringing greater efficiency to the structure of MSA. In a collaborative effort with other student organizations, we have worked toward making open housing a reality and creating University policies that are more accommodating and fair to transgender and gender non-conforming students. We have also taken our advocacy abroad and fought for student interests in Lansing and Washington D.C. in collaboration with the Student Association of Michigan and other organizations.

But MForward doesn’t confine itself either. We work to address every spectrum and range of student issues. Under MForward’s leadership, student organizations have not only been able to sponsor assembly resolutions, but will also see a rolling funding process that encourages creativity and creating convenience for student groups. Dining halls became open Saturday nights, giving more options to cash-strapped students, and Lupe Fiasco was brought to campus to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps. Finally, MForward members developed a new MSA website and online petition software at no cost to students.

For this election, we have selected another fantastic slate of candidates who we feel will adequately represent the needs and desires of students across campus and uphold our values of ideas, action and community. We believe these candidates will be a wonderful addition to our current representatives and executives as we continue to enact the actions and reforms promised in March. We’ve also worked diligently to identify candidates who represent students whose voice often goes unheard in student government. For example, for the first time, we will be running a School of Information candidate since the school has not been adequately represented on the assembly in the past.

As you see our candidates campaigning around campus in the coming weeks, I encourage you to stop them and ask them why they are running for a position on the assembly. Start a conversation with them regarding what student government can do for you. Too often, students choose not to actively engage in the activities of their student government, and that is bad for everyone involved. MSA and MForward grow stronger together with the constant feedback of students across campus.

While more issues lie ahead, most importantly, MForward sees solutions to these as well. We want to work with campus leaders and organizations to hear your concerns and your ideas. We want to make sure that the innovative ideas from our students and our candidates are acted upon and realized and that the Michigan Student Assembly isn’t a useless or ineffective institution. With your help and your vote this month, MForward will continue to make the University of Michigan a stronger, better community.

Sean Walser is the MForward chair.

MICHIGAN DAILY | MForward to govern MSA for a second year

MForward candidates DeAndree Watson and Brendan Campbell were elected the next Michigan Student Assembly president and vice president early this morning.

Watson and Campbell, both LSA juniors, defeated LSA freshman Briana Hatcher and LSA sophomore Lena Cintron of the Defend Affirmative Action Party. The voting numbers were unavailable as of 2:45 a.m. today.

Watson and Campbell’s campaign emphasized MSA’s potential for more student advocacy and the candidates’ hope to increase interest in MSA among the student body.

Interviewed after results came in early this morning, Watson — who currently serves as MSA’s speaker — said he is excited to take the top position.

“I want everyone to know that I’m extremely honored to know that so many students have entrusted me with the responsibilities of president,” Watson said. “They can expect great things from this administration.”

According to unofficial election results, this year’s turnout was 11 percent. While the turnout dropped from last year’s 14 percent, Watson said he is happy with the number.

“I’m at least excited that over 10 percent of the student body decided to vote in this election, especially considering that it wasn’t the most contested,” Watson said.

MSA Election Director Breaha Patterson wrote in an e-mail interview early this morning that more numbers for the election would be available today. Like Watson, she wrote that she is satisfied with the voter turnout.

“I would have liked to see a higher turnout of course, we think the elections are important and strive to get as many students as possible,” Patterson wrote.

For this semester’s election, the student governments also brought back polling stations — which had not been used in 10 years — in addition to online voting with the hopes of getting more students to vote.

“I definitely think the parties did a good job with visibility and with the addition of polling stations, it at least put into people’s minds that there was an election,” Patterson wrote. “… I think it actually gave voters a chance to ask questions that they might not have gotten the opportunity to otherwise.”

Hatcher, whose campaign was centered on bringing the campus community together and making it more diverse, said while she was disappointed with the election’s outcome, she is looking forward to continuing her work with DAAP and is optimistic about next year’s elections.

“I’m a little bit disappointed, but I guess that just comes along with it,” Hatcher said. “I really hope that a lot of things that (Watson and Campbell) said in their platform, I really hope that they get them done because they really do have some nice points.”

Out of 39 total representative seats on MSA, MForward won 28 spots.

In opposition to the MSA parties, the student-run satire magazine on campus, The Every Three Weekly, endorsed a a fictitious presidential candidate, Karlos Marks, and encouraged students to write-in his name on the ballot.

“The Every Three Weekly supported Marks’s campaign because we were tired of the usual uninspiring MSA candidates …” The Every Three Weekly editorial staff wrote in an e-mail interview prior to the election.

According to unofficial election results, 55 percent of students who cast their ballots voted yes on a poll question on the MSA ballot inquiring whether students would want to pay a maximum of $4 per term to have free copies of The New York Times on campus. MSA planned on using the ballot question to assess student sentiment on The New York Times College Readership Program, which had a trial run on campus last week.

Also elected in the student government elections is LSA junior Ellen Steele, who won the student position on the University’s Department of Public Safety Oversight Committee, an advisory board that hears grievances against the campus police. Steele ran uncontested.

The second student seat on the committee will become open in May.

MSA plans to fill the position with a write-in candidate from this week’s election.

From the Daily: Vote Watson, Campbell

Student engagement in the Michigan Student Assembly has been lacking in recent years. There seems to be a debilitating disconnection between MSA representatives and their student constituents. But MSA presidential and vice presidential candidates DeAndree Watson and Brendan Campbell, both LSA juniors from the MForward Party, are hoping to combat this disinterest among students and have plans to do so. Watson’s extensive experience serving on MSA, personal goals to improve the University’s student government, selection of Campbell as vice president and MForward’s strong party platform all bring a fresh perspective to the table — making the MForward ticket the strongest in this year’s MSA election.

One of the most encouraging qualities about Watson is his willingness to acknowledge that student perceptions of MSA are less than favorable. He told The Michigan Daily that “a lot of students see MSA as a bank (and) don’t really see the advocacy of it.” Many of his goals aim to reverse the trend of student apathy. Specifically, Watson plans to make MSA meetings and its budget more transparent to University students. His plan to publish the approved budget and weekly presidential addresses on the MSA website will certainly help to make MSA more accessible to students.

Having institutional knowledge of the way MSA functions is crucial to success as president, and Watson currently serves as the speaker in the three-branch MSA system. He is aware of the pitfalls and advantages of this newly formulated system and will be the best candidate to ensure MSA operates efficiently.

Watson’s plans to improve the campus community is in line with student concerns, and he has realistic plans for addressing these issues. Some of his objectives include working to implement the open housing plan that students originally formulated, combating bias incidents on campus and working with the University’s Board of Regents and state legislators to fight tuition hikes.

Defend Affirmative Action Party candidates Briana Hatcher, an LSA freshman running for MSA president, and Lena Cintron, an LSA sophomore running for MSA vice president, have positive ideas like interacting with constituents through mixers and social events and creating a more unified campus. But their lack of experience with student government is concerning. Additionally, their platform is too focused on advocating for particular issues, instead of improving MSA and making sure it operates efficiently for the entire student body.

It’s difficult to blame students for their discontent with MSA. Many of their concerns are valid and result from the lack of transparency in the way MSA functions and uses student funds. But if students don’t take the few minutes to vote for MSA officials, they forfeit their right to complain about the actions of these individuals.

While uncontested, LSA Student Government elections are just as important for students. Junior Anne Laverty, running for president, and junior Jeff Larkin, running for vice president, feel that student access to their student government is vital. They have palpable plans to increase student involvement in LSA-SG by adding a forum feature to the LSA-SG website, holding college town hall meetings and collaborating with organizations on campus.

For this year’s election, The Michigan Daily’s editorial board endorses MForward’s DEANDREE WATSON and BRENDAN CAMPBELL for MSA president and vice president. We also endorseANNE LAVERTY and JEFF LARKIN for LSA-SG president and vice president.

VIEWPOINT: Moving (M)forward

When MForward began nearly a year ago, the promise of ideas, action and community truly resonated with me as a student leader, as it did with all those who decided to run for positions on the Michigan Student Assembly on the MForward ticket. Although we all knew it would be an uphill battle, we didn’t let these odds discourage us from setting in motion a new approach to student governance. As a result, this first year has not only yielded many improvements to campus but, perhaps most importantly, it has created a new tone for leadership and new foundation off of which future representatives can base their work in years to come.

he mission of MForward includes an emphasis on increasing the extent to which student organizations can access MSA resources. By working with Student Parking and Transportation Services, we were able to create a $5,000 budget to fund groups that require vehicles to carry out their service-based initiatives. We also launched the “Get Involved Campaign,” which started activities like Diag Days dedicated to promoting our many wonderful arts and service organizations and events like Explorth to bring information about these opportunities to North Campus.

To continue these efforts, current MForward representatives are meeting with University administrators to improve Festifall by making it more environmentally friendly, easier to navigate and more accessible for students with disabilities. MForward representatives are partnering with the Office of New Student Programs and Student Activities and Leadership to institute a panel at orientation which student leaders can share with incoming students the importance of involvement. This program will begin this June.

Another cornerstone of the MForward philosophy is to improve and publicize our internal activities as means to hold representatives more accountable to the student body. Our new website, which we created without spending any student tuition dollars, now contains information about voting records, attendance, meeting minutes, agendas and resolutions.

Furthermore, the new MSA Constitution, initiated by the MForward leadership, is nearing the end of its transitional period. The contents of this document will establish a better system of checks and balances through the creation of different branches of government. One of the new positions it defines, chief programming officer, has already helped the University produce several campus-wide events, and the implementation of a University Council will facilitate greater communication between different bodies of student governance.

In terms of advocacy, MForward has long held the belief that student government should both reflect and defend the needs of all those who it represents, especially for communities whose members constantly suffer the injustices of certain University standards. We feel that advocacy includes everything from introducing new areas of CAEN printing and workspace on Central Campus to lobbying at our nation’s capitol among other in-state and Big Ten university leaders for increased access to and affordability of higher education.

Among the accomplishments of MSA under MForward leadership in the past year, our advances in implementing the open housing policy ranks near the top of the list. Because of our tireless work among a coalition of supportive organizations, transgender and gender non-conforming students now have the opportunity to room with another student regardless of their gender. Although we still have a long way to go, we have made great strides toward our goal of establishing a completely comprehensive policy that will eliminate housing discrimination on the basis of gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.

These are just some of the many examples of the direction in which MForward has moved student governance. Not only will the members of its ticket continue the incredible work their predecessors have begun, but they will also have a better space in which to introduce new initiatives in the name of ideas, action and community. Not once have I regretted my own participation in this vision, and not for a second do I doubt the integrity and philosophy of those who hope to form the next generation of the MForward leadership.

Allison Horky is an MForward Representative. She is a School of Social Work student.

VIEWPOINT | Rock the (MSA) vote

On the first day of Welcome Week freshman year, the world is full of possibilities. For many students, coming to college symbolizes the end of one stage of life and the beginning of another — one based on new experiences that inspire both excitement and fear. Yet what we may not have realized at first is that the moment our feet hit campus, a clock begins to tick. In truth, we have only a few short years to make our impact on the University of Michigan before we must pass along our legacy to the next generation of Wolverines.

In some ways, college can feel simply like a transition. It’s the period of time that connects us from a past, shaped by the households and high schools from which we came, to a future shaped by our own goals and ambition. Although it can sometimes be difficult, within this dichotomy of past and future, it’s crucial that we remain conscious of and actively engage in the present, especially in issues whose consequences reach beyond any one individual.

As students at the University, we have a wealth of resources at our fingertips. These resources come in many forms and can be furnished as tools to help further any cause. MForward is a Michigan Student Assembly party formed on the principle of fostering a diverse and active student body, one whose needs and interests vary greatly and add to the energy of the campus community. The current candidates, including myself, hope to preserve this above all else as advocates and facilitators of student activism. From MForward’s perspective, our most important resources are each other.

Advocacy, however, especially as defined in the context of student government, depends upon a foundation of engagement from those who participate in and benefit from it. Engagement in this democratic process, in turn, depends upon the simplest, easiest and most important form of involvement. Yes, I’m referring to voting.

As the former chair of the University’s chapter of College Democrats, I’m sure many of you have seen me chasing students across the Diag in order to make sure that they are registered to vote. Perhaps you yourself have suffered through the 30-second tutorial of how to fill out the form or were asked repeatedly if you knew the exact location of your polling place. Needless to say, I’ve always had a strong commitment to making sure that students have a voice in choosing everyone who represents them, and when I say everyone, I mean it.

Everyone includes your representatives on MSA. The online polling site makes voting for your peers even easier than voting in government elections. With two days to fill out your ballot, there is really no excuse not to click onto the voting page and check the names of the people who you believe will be best for the job.

With little to no cost to yourself, you can make your voice heard in a deliberation that absolutely will affect your campus experience. MSA works more closely with students than any other governing body, and it offers a direct connection between students and the University administration. It not only can create policies that reflect your needs but can also serve as a forum for your own causes. If you feel that it fails to accomplish this, then your first step in improving MSA is voting for the members who compose it.

Thus, casting your vote isn’t merely a means to show confidence toward those you choose on the ballot. More importantly, it’s a means of holding them accountable. It’s the basis on which any of their actions (or inactions) may be exposed and challenged. Not voting means that you’ve opted out of this process altogether.

Information about all those running for a position is also online, and within minutes you can learn enough about each of the candidates of your school to make an educated decision. Platforms for all those running with the MForward Party can be easily accessed at www.MForward.org.

While I do hope that you vote for MForward and the values that we represent, most importantly, I want you to vote. Period. Elections begin on Wednesday, March 23 and run until March 24, so please spare the 10 seconds it takes to add your voice to the campus community in a very real way. Whether or not you realize it, these are the types of precious seconds that will shape the collective legacy of this student body.

Brendan Campbell is the MForward vice presidential candidate. He is an LSA junior.

VIEWPOINT: Why I want to be MSA president

Last spring, MForward emerged as a group of dedicated individuals united by a common aspiration to improve student governance on campus and commitment to making the Michigan Student Assembly a true advocate for students of this university. This spring, we’re reaffirming our values with a new slate of individuals determined to advance the MForward agenda of ideas, action and community.

This is why I have decided to run for president with MForward, along with LSA Junior Brendan Campbell as my running mate and a phenomenal ticket of student leaders from across every section of campus. Collectively, we share the goal of re-energizing student participation in governance as a means of affecting change with benefits that will reach every corner of our campus community.

Our work begins with establishing new forums for exchanging ideas. As a whole, we hope to create a more accessible, transparent and efficient coalition of student representatives. In order to better communicate with and assess the needs of our peers, we plan to broadcast MSA meetings, hold monthly presidential addresses and host frequent town hall gatherings that connect students with University administrators. In these settings, we can both express our ideas so that they may fall subject to discussion and debate among the community, as well as elicit feedback and suggestions from those whose interests we’re striving to serve.

We also would like to emphasize our relationship with other student-led organizations, as we consider them vital to the vibrancy of our campus fabric. By introducing rolling funding opportunities and holding office hours in multiple locations around campus, organizations will have increased access to our resources. Furthermore, we intend to open our legislative process to student groups by creating a system that allows student organizations to pass resolutions through MSA.

Once we have implemented these tools for increasing our engagement with the student body, we will actively fight to enhance the campus community through our commitment to improving accessibility and affordability. Alongside student organizations, we intend to create new programming and outreach initiatives to connect with communities currently underrepresented at the University.

By reaching out to high schools across the state, we will unify the voices of students to establish networks of peer support. Such dialogue, coupled with advocacy for more education grants for students of different minority groups, has the potential to diminish the gap between high school and college that can become insurmountable to so many of our state’s youth. In our actions, we hope not only to create opportunities of higher education that previously didn’t exist but also seek to diversify and enrich our campus culture.

In terms of affordability, cuts to funding higher education have led to tuition hikes that hurt students across every demographic. Because the members of MForward believe so passionately in fighting for the needs of the students we represent, we see it as our responsibility to lead the effort of keeping these trends in check. While we will strive to use our institutional resources for the benefit of our peers, we also will not hesitate to take a stand against these institutions when students’ academic careers become jeopardized by financial constraints.

Finally, the overarching aspiration of MForward is to build a better and more cohesive campus community. All students deserve to feel included in the dynamic academic, extracurricular and social environments around which our campus culture thrives. These initiatives begin with continuing MForward’s efforts to implement open housing.

While progress has been made on this issue in that transgender and gender non-conforming students will now be able to live in suites with other students of their choosing — regardless of gender — much work still remains in advocating for a full open housing program. In a similar vein, we also will seek to establish a more comprehensive system to address incidents of bias. We see it as critical that students’ safety and positive campus experiences aren’t threatened by intolerant attitudes toward different social identities.

As part of the largest governing entity on campus, MForward members feel a compelling responsibility to use MSA resources only in ways that serve to unite students with each other, with their campus environment, with their communities and with the tools they require for accomplishing their goals. By opening up waves of communication between students, student-led organizations and the administration, we have the unique potential to facilitate connections with new and enhanced educational and organizational opportunities.

This is why Brendan Campbell, myself and all the MForward candidates have decided to seek positions on MSA this year. We’re students, seeking the support of students, and promising to strengthen the student body.

If we all work together as a united force, we can further define and embody the phrase “Leaders and the Best” — that ever-present classification to which we so firmly subscribe.

DeAndree Watson is the MForward presidential candidate. He is an LSA junior.

MICHIGAN DAILY | MForward Running Mates Find Balance in Experiences

With DeAndree Watson’s institutional knowledge of the Michigan Student Assembly and Brendan Campbell’s fresh view of the assembly, the LSA juniors are hoping to capitalize on this combination to win the spots of MSA president and vice president in the student government election next month.

Representing the MForward party, Watson and Campbell hope to succeed outgoing MSA President Chris Armstrong and Vice President Jason Raymond, who are also MForward members. The candidates said if elected, they plan to strengthen the assembly through several initiatives such as increasing MSA transparency and expanding the advocacy role of the assembly on campus.

Watson is the current speaker of the assembly. Campbell isn’t currently on MSA but is chair of the University’s chapter of College Democrats. MForward officially nominated Watson and Campbell on Feb. 4. Other MSA parties have not yet announced their presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Watson said primary issues on his campaign platform are to fight student apathy toward MSA and to use the assembly to advocate for student interests as effectively as possible. To do this, Watson said he plans to work on increasing collaboration with the state government.

“We want to just really get students engaged in student government and to use that engagement to lobby the state Legislature and whoever else we need to make sure we represent all students,” Watson said.

Watson was elected to the assembly in November 2009 and served as the founding chair of the Diversity Affairs Commission. This semester, as speaker of the assembly, Watson has been involved with drafting MSA’s new constitution.

Watson said if elected president, he wants to be personally accessible to students. He said he doesn’t feel the current assembly made it a priority as much as it should have to consider the student perspective.

“One of the things that I want to do differently as president is to make myself more available,” Watson said. “I think going into the community and talking to students will increase transparency. I don’t think MSA has done enough to advocate for students this term.”

Though Campbell has had no official affiliation with student government at the University, he has worked with MSA leaders on a variety of issues like the Open Housing Initiative.

Campbell said Watson’s experience working within the assembly and his own lobbying and advocacy work with the College Democrats will make them effective student leaders.

“There’s no one who knows more about how MSA works and has been a more effective advocate for MSA (than Watson),” Campbell said. “I’m someone who doesn’t know as much about how MSA works, but has a different perspective, and is hopefully able to bring some outside knowledge of how other things work.”

Many students and even some MSA representatives have, in the past, underestimated the leverage MSA has with the University administration, Campbell said. He said he hopes to use the assembly as a catalyst to deal with major University issues.

“One of the things I’ve really seen working with MSA over the past couple of years is the access it has (and) the influence that MSA can have,” Campbell said. “I think that a lot of members of MSA don’t necessarily understand how powerful MSA can be.”

Watson and Campbell said they want to work specifically on making the University more accessible for current and potential minority students. Watson said he hopes to work with a variety of communities on campus to ensure students from a multitude of backgrounds are receiving the help they need to be accepted to the University and succeed once they arrive on campus.

“If MSA, as the central government, can gather all those student organizations together and create a unified campus commitment to increase that diversity, that’s something amazing,” Watson said.

To make the University a more welcoming and diverse place, Watson said he will continue fighting hate crimes on campus. Additionally, he said, if elected, he plans to encourage dialogue with student groups and individuals about what can be done to help the transition from high school to college.

The candidates also want to make MSA more useful to student organizations by creating a process in which campus groups can directly propose MSA resolutions without the sponsorship of an assembly representative. Campbell said he would like MSA to distribute funds to student organizations on a rolling basis, so that the groups can make programming decisions without waiting for the assembly’s next funding cycle and won’t have to float money MSA might not reimburse.

If elected, Watson and Campbell said they also have ideas for improving MSA’s efficiency and transparency like posting the MSA budget with line-item breakdowns online.

“Students should know exactly where the money is going and how it’s being spent,” Watson said. “If students don’t like how their money is being spent it will be a motivation to come to student government and talk about some things, maybe discuss some changes.”

By Robin Veeck, Daily Staff Reporter