Students gathered in Parkway North yesterday for a Q-and-A session with the ASPSU presidential candidate Katherine Markey and vice presidential candidate Selina Paulsen.
Yesterday’s forum was the first in a series of candidate forums that will take place over the coming weeks to introduce the student body to the 2010 ASPSU candidates. The talks will also give PSU students an opportunity to voice their opinions about issues.
“[The purpose of] the candidate forum is to make sure that the people running to represent you know who you are, and know what’s important to you,” said Elections Board Chair Deborah Porta.
The candidates were asked numerous questions on an array of issues, including what they believe their role as ASPSU president and vice president would be.
“To be president is to represent the students of Portland State…not only at Portland State but outside to all of the agencies [PSU] works with, even if that means going down to the capitol in Salem,” Markey said. “We need to make sure that students are heard, that they know what’s going on at the state level and that they know what’s going on at PSU.”
Both candidates are currently running unopposed. The original due date for candidacy applications was March 19, but was pushed back to March 22. Students who wish to run for an ASPSU office may still join the race using write-in ballots, which are due by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 1. In order to become a write-in candidate, one must gather 50 signatures from students. However, according to Porta, the E-board by-laws dictated by ASPSU’s constitution prohibit late registration candidates from campaigning on campus.
In regards to the legitimacy of the campaign, the two candidates expressed their concerns about running without opposition.
“There will be no difference for Selina and I. We’re going to run it just as if we had opposition,” Markey said. “We want students to vote the way they feel best, and to vote for us because they actually think we’re going to do the best job, not just because we’re the only ones running.”
Paulsen admitted her own fears about the lack of opposition.
“How do I have a system of accountability when I don’t have an opponent watching my every move?” Paulsen said. “I think as long as students are involved, and students watch us…I think it will help that system and it will help make [the campaign] more legitimate.”
Markey stated her main concerns for PSU, which include university restructuring and the potential privatization of PSU and the Oregon University System.
“There’s still a lot of discussion [about restructuring], but I’m a firm believer and advocate that students need to be part of that discussion,” Markey said.
She also plans to focus on student fee issues, primarily giving students control of their student fees and access to the resources paid for by the fees.
If elected, Paulsen hopes to implement more student outreach programs, such as an affordable textbook exchange and the recently established ASPSU food pantry.
The next forum, comprised of Student Senate candidates, will take place today at 4 p.m. in 236 Smith Memorial Student Union. For more candidate forum dates, as well as a list of the current 2010 ASPSU candidates, visit ASPSU’s Web site at www.aspsu.pdx.edu.