The Student Assembly presidential candidates sweated through their only public debate Thursday evening -- as a result of the atypically hot temperature of Collis Common Ground and the heated questions they fired back and forth at each other.
Rather than merely enumerating their campaign platforms, presidential candidates did their best not to evade pointed questions, which came from opponents, moderators and audience members. Stephanie Long '04 and Janos Marton '04 moderated the event.
Candidates knocked each other's campaign strategies and slogans, campaign promises and past achievements -- or lack thereof -- within the Assembly.
"I'm up here because I think there's something to be said for vision," Ralph Davies '05 said, pumping up the crowd with impassioned rhetoric and sporadic jokes.
"I believe in my vision. I think it's real; I think it's ultimately going to outshine the others," he said.
Jim Baehr '05 also invoked fiery rhetoric, saying that as president he would make the Assembly a driving force for change at the College.
"I want to focus more on policy change," with respect to service, the Greek system, the environment, the spirit of the College and students' rights, he said.
"I want to ensure that students here lead better lives," Baehr said, adding that the Assembly should not serve as a "glorified Class Council."
Julia Hildreth '05 had a different take on how to win the election.
"I wish that my actions could speak for themselves," Hildreth said. "We can talk a whole lot less and accomplish a lot more."
Dave Wolkoff '05 criticized the current Assembly for being a "joke," and attributed the lack of communication between the administration and students to students' loss of faith in student government.
"This loss of faith has seriously undermined the ability of SA to deal with the administration," Wolkoff said. "If we want to get our voice back, we need to restore faith in our student government."
Davies apologized "to the people." Alluding to the Assembly's failure to pass a proposal for funding to club sports and other student organizations, Davies lamented, "We let those groups down."
The entourage of Mike Valmonte '06, representing the newly-created Novack Party, exuded a strong presence, both in the audience and on stage.
Valmonte had a "bodyguard" behind him throughout the debate's entirety, and a slew of cohorts chanted "Novack Party" after each time he spoke.
"The president's job is to be a funnel between students and the SA braintrust we have," Valmonte said, reiterating his role as the casual observer of students here on campus, manifest in his work at Novack Cafe.
Current Assembly president Marton asked the candidates what they would ask College President James Wright concerning his priorities, if given five minutes to talk with him.
Baehr took this opportunity to criticize what he depicted as the expansion of the administrative budget at the cost of the undergraduate nature of the College.
"I fundamentally disagree with their vision," Baehr said.
Wolkoff seconded Baehr's grievances. "I'd ask him some serious questions about the direction of the College," questioning why Wright "decided to increase his own budget."
Hildreth opted for a more diplomatic approach, saying that she would ask Wright to spend more time with the student body at large. "You haven't been able to ask questions, and you haven't been able to hear his responses," she said to the audience.
Valmonte offered a candid response. "I think most couldn't care less" about Wright's priorities," he said. "He's never going to do anything direct for us -- he's a title."
As the debate drew on, the candidates became more unruly and criticized each other's priorities, unfinished work on the Assembly and motives in running for the presidency.
Although not as well-attended, the debate between the vice presidential candidates also carried its share of unabashed criticisms among the three candidates in the race.
"While the other candidates use broad metaphors, I have concrete initiatives," Todd Rabkin Golden '06 said, citing his experience in leadership positions within the Assembly and his advocacy for students rights.
Dave Zubricki '07 and Karan Danthi '07 cited their experience as president and vice president of the '07 Class Council, respectively.
"I want to pursue the bigger issues," Danthi said, such as building stronger relations with the alumni, as evidenced in his recently-passed proposal for an online student poll on the trustee election.
Zubricki said he would make the Assembly into students' "vehicle for change."
"I've watched people lost interest," he said. "As vice president, I won't let that happen."
Students running for president and vice president of the '05 and '07 Class Councils also spoke Thursday evening, preceding the Assembly debates.
