Student Fee Committee candidates express views

Candidates for the Student Fee Committee gathered for a forum Tuesday afternoon in the Parkway Commons to try to give the student body a better understanding of their positions on issues concerning student fees.

The two candidates for SFC chair, Tracy Earll and Byung J. Yoo, made short opening statements describing their background. Victor Salinas was the only candidate running for the SFC board that attended the forum.

When asked about how they planned to train the three new members on the SFC Board next year, Earll remarked that her experience as a Board member for the past two years already has prepared her for this task. Yoo expressed a strong desire to get to know and to listen to the entire group, use retreats and other tactics.

Each candidate was asked how they would work to increase the student body’s general knowledge about how student fees operate and what strategies they would propose to alleviate this problem.

Earll would like to increase the use of programs such as tutoring by students, since from her experience, she felt that the ones who understood fees the best were those who served by student fees. She would also like to increase publicity about the fees from student publications.

Yoo then commented that he would like to have everybody know where the money goes, and he said awareness was important in order to shape where the money goes.

Salinas also responded to the question by proposing a more equal distribution amongst different organizations.

On the issue of funding of “controversial” groups such as those with highly political motivations, Earll said that she enjoyed the “diversity of PSU, and that one could meet any kind of person here.” She also felt that if there was a group “with strong support, then fund it.”

Yoo expressed a need to “give students more than what they pay for,” and that he wished to “hear all sides and do what is best needed.”

Salinas responded by saying that he wanted to “represent all

perspectives possible.”