By June Leffler

The Dark Knights
Kirk Laughlin for SGA President and Kurtis Frizzell for Services Vice President, or as students on campus or watching youtube.com have come to know the duo as: Batman and Robin.
Dissatisfied with student government, candidates Laughlin and Frizzell said they seek to reverse the indifference they’ve seen in student representation.
“We’re the only candidates that are mad as hell about what’s going on in our student government,” said Laughlin, “and we want to change it.”
Laughlin and Frizzell plan to improve communication by reaching all demographics of students through regular meetings with RSOs, fraternities and sororities, commuters at the stadium, and students walking from classes.
Laughlin feels the meal plan was enacted without student input and plans to hold Sodexo accountable for any breech in contract and will work on making the fee a part of tuition.
“Anything that you are mandated to pay to attend a university is tuition,” said Laughlin.
If elected, Frizzell would lobby for more parking close to campus, a larger health facility in the center of campus, and go through the elusive contract made with Sodexo.
The two said they will also go to administrators on and off campus to facilitate a large scale work study program. Speed school’s co-op program is an impressive model that Laughlin would like to expand to other schools at the university, perhaps for students to work at UPS, JCPS or Humana.
“Employers get cheap labor, students get extra cash and work experience, and the university doesn’t have to pay for students to attend class for a semester,” said Laughlin.

Team 2010
Ahmed Awadallah for president, Stephanie Bonenberger for Executive Vice President, Sam Jones for Academic Vice President, and Krista Woltermann for Services Vice President form the slate known as Team 2010.
 Awadallah is currently academic vice president and has worked for measures such as the 24-hour library pilot, partnership with Kaplan to provide discounted and free professional school tests, and other duties for his office.
“I know what has and has not worked,” said Awadallah. “The people who have given you tangible results will continue serving you.”
Team 2010 endorses a five-year plan of students wants and needs, not that of a single representative’s agenda.
 “This will keep an institutional memory,” said Awadallah.
Awadallah said he will bring together faculty, staff and student governments across Kentucky to lobby for funding in Frankfort regularly rather than one day with the Rally for Higher Education.
Jones would work for capping tuition and housing costs, educating students on academic services available, and advocate to faculty how they can better respond to students’ needs.
If elected, Woltermann said she would establish partnerships with officials of campus services, local businesses, and RSOs to educate students on what exact services are accessible to them and facilitating channels of communication.  She would work on providing recycling bins, extra parking through near businesses and monitoring from DPS officers.
Woltermann also said she plans to hold Sodexo accountable for building healthy and sustainable dining facilities on time. Ultimately, her goal is to allow 30 percent of meal plans to be spent off-campus, or work with local businesses to use the meal plan there.
“I think my objectives are realistic and I’ll need a good explanation if they can’t be met,” said Woltermann.

The Cardinal Connection
OJ Oleka for president, Robert Works for Executive Vice President, Michael Rolf for Academic Vice President, and Levi Shanks for Services Vice President makes up the group The Cardinal Connection.
The Cardinal Connection intends to lead and engage students on campus.
The Cardinal connection is stressing communication and transparency through the addition of a student government house of RSOs, a commission of accountability made of students outside SGA to evaluate representation each semester, and online blogs, polls and videos for students.
“Transparency is inclusion in the process at the beginning, “said Oleka. “It’s saying ‘here’s what we’re talking about, what do you think?'”
The slate said they will work on a college affordability bill with state legislators, the board of trustees, and student government for the sole purpose of lowering tuition and receiving necessary funds. Oleka said this goal is realistic for 2012. 
They will also create large scale four-year service projects for each incoming class to engage in meaningful relationships on campus and in the community.
Rolf plans to promote professors to post grades on Blackboard for drop dates, tap into a degree progress module that is already a part of PeopleSoft, and counter book costs by meeting with faculty to discuss the issue.
Also, Rolf plans to buy used textbooks from students to provide as reference material for students without books.
“These are all feasible goals that will directly help and aid students in these economic times,” said Rolf.

Independent
Joe Grossman is a Services Vice President candidate independent from any slate.
Grossman sees this as a disadvantage, but does not think four member slates can provide a cure all to SGA.
“A whole slate will not get elected,” said Grossman. “So what happens when only one or two [candidates] get elected? Each slate is very diverse on their major plans of action.”
Grossman said he’d communicate informally by giving out his number freely and unhinging the door to his dorm so students feel comfortable approaching him with concerns. Grossman also plans to form committees to discuss student’s needs relating to different services.
Grossman plans to increase DPS visibility in high risk areas on campus, lower food prices and expand dining hours, educate students on health services and food options and reassess the current parking pass system.