By Sarah V. Daileyeditor-In-Chief
This years’ 2002 Student Government Association presidential election is going be an extremely close race. There are four candidates: Chris Marlin, Jihaad Abdul-Majid, Jay Elmore and Heather Sarne. All four share the same views about student life, tuition, and parking. However, they all have different views of what is their biggest concern for this campus and the future of the students.
Marlin, currently the Film Chair for the Student Activities Board, said he feels that adequate funding for undergrads and parking is the most important issue that SGA and the university need to focus on for next year.
“The university has plans and numbers projected for 2008… they want to increase the number of graduate students on campus and they want to increase the number of African Americans on campus, they want to increase the retention rate of freshman,” said Marlin. “What we need to worry about are the undergraduates. Make sure that adequate funding hits the undergrads. Make sure that they get a good education.”
Abdul-Majid feels that communication is the biggest issue this campus is faced with on a day-to- day basis.
“When problems arise, it’s important to clearly communicate how they [the students] are feeling so the situation can get resolved,” said Abdul-Majid.
Elmore, on the other hand, feels that this campus is polarized and that the next president needs to set the tone of how this campus should be.
“If we continue to fight an ‘us and them’ battle, we are always going to have that problem,” said Elmore. “But if we can actually work together, it’ll be a one year problem, one year disrupt in the student body to take us to a different level.”
For Sarne, race issues are her biggest concern
“Settling the race issue on campus, or making steps to settle it” are what Sarne wants to focus on if elected. The notion of student housing was also at the top of her list for student concerns. “Students are in for a big shock in the next few years. Upperclassmen are not going to have a place to live on campus; that needs to be addressed to housing and student affairs.”
With the closing of one school year and the entry into a new one, changes are always made. The candidates all had different things in mind when it comes to what they want to change.
For Marlin, the one change he would make for the student body if elected would be to instill in the students the feeling that U of L is their home and a place they want to be.
“I want students to leave this campus with the same feeling I am going to leave with,” said Marlin, “and that feeling is going to be that this is my home. Students pay too much money to attend this university and not enjoy themselves.”
Abdul-Majid said that one major change he wants to see is the way people who work in the different offices are trained. As current Academic Vice President of SGA, Abdul-Majid said that he has received several complaints from students that staff members are not student-friendly.
“That can give a sour or negative taste to students and it can give students a sense of pessimism that people in administration don’t care,” said Abdul-Majid.
Pride was on the top of Elmore’s list of changes he wants to see on campus.
“People don’t come to this University because it was their first choice; they end up here, and that’s what I want to change,” said Elmore. “In order to make it happen, we need to increase student life and create pride by making it better.”
“Lower the prices for parking passes and have more parking spaces,” said Sarne about one thing she wants changed on this campus.
There is one issue that has remained constant on this campus: race. Every year, a situation has arisen where race was a factor. For these four candidates, their view of race relations was generally similar. They all feel that communication and education are the keys and that it is simply a matter of bringing everyone together.
Parking is another issue that all four candidates felt needed to be addressed. Marlin, who has parked at Papa John’s Cardinal Staduim every day this past year, feels that parking at Papa John’s is not the problem, it’s the shuttle service and whether or not it is running effectively to meet the students’ needs. Abdul-Majid said that the parking situation, though complicated, “it seems there’s no way to completely solve it; no way to satisfy all.” Elmore feels that in order for the university to grow, we need more parking spaces, and also said that if the solution to the problem is parking at Papa John’s, then those spaces need to be cheaper. Sarne felt that there are other ways to deal with an increased need for Parking Services employees than making the price of passes extremely high. She also feels that those students who park at Papa John’s should not have to pay for a green parking pass.
Tuition was another hot topic, and again all felt the same way. The increase is a necessary evil; however, it might be too much to ask of student every year.
“It needs to be maintained where it doesn’t grow too fast,” said Elmore. Abdul-Majid, who was originally against the tuition increase, feels that if students are expected to pay more, then they should receive an increase in student services as well.
As stated earlier, this race is going to be a close one. All the candidates have strong backgrounds working with students and around the campus community. When it comes to voting, students are going to have to look beyond what the candidates promise and concentrate more on who can make change happen.
Marlin, who feels he is the most visible candidate on this campus, said, “I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into this campus. I have put myself into this campus. I have spent three years trying to make this a better place, and I have one more year to fulfill my mission.”
Abdul-Majid, who has had extensive experience to date working in SGA, claims he is not a politician, and states that he is honest.
“I am consistent and I have a strong passion for the students,” he said.
Elmore feels that he represents the average U of L student. “I’ve paid for my tuition by stacking boxes third shift, waited tables, and worked in the military service. I’ve lived in Louisville my whole life and I am a commuter,” he said. He feels that he can work for the students effectively.
Sarne stated it simply. “I am a realist. I believe that the only way to make this campus a better place is one student at a time. I’ve done my homework, I know the demographics, and I’m ready to take them [the issues] on. Sarne stated in closing that she is not running for SGA president for herself; she is doing it for the students.
