Candidates for student body president and vice president met to debate for the final time Monday night before voting begins today at 9 a.m today.
The Elections Planning and Advisory Committee, which hosted the debate, gave candidates the opportunity to directly question each other for the first time and also allowed write-in candidate Tim Andreadis '07 to participate in his first debate.
"I think it was proper to include him considering he is a formal write-in candidate," EPAC member Adam Shpeen '07 said. "As a formal write-in candidate he is conducting his campaign under the EPAC rules, so we felt it was fair to include him."
EPAC opened the debate by asking the candidates what single major change, no matter how unrealistic, they would make to campus if given the opportunity.
Andreadis responded that he would end rape on campus, although he noted it is an idealistic goal. Chrissie Chick '07 cited increasing the accountability of the administration to students as her primary focus, while Adam Patinkin '07 said wants to cut down "self-segregation" and increase the interaction among student organizations. Dave Zubricki '07 listed the Assembly itself as his major focal point.
"Right now I think a lot of people on campus, for good reason, consider the Assembly a joke," he said.
EPAC then questioned Chick about the meaning of her repeated promise to "cut the red tape."
"Dartmouth is defined by student initiative," she said in response. "Basically get out of the students' way. We have enough ideas. We need to make sure the administration is not a road block."
EPAC interrogated Zubricki about the energy he would bring to the position given his generally lackluster campaign and the fact that he didn't put up posters until the weekend before voting.
"I figured people didn't want to see my face ten days before elections," Zubricki said. "I have incredible energy for this position. Even while campaigning I've been meeting with administrators."
The committee also asked Andreadis to practically detail how he would prevent sexual assault, to which he responded that he would draw up a complex zoning plan that would record the number of sexual assaults in different areas on campus.
"The main thing is advocacy," he said. "Let's not be afraid to ask hard questions and to deal with them."
To Patinkin, who has publicized his involvement in writing the reaffirmed Party Pack resolution, EPAC asked whether it is fair to use student activity money when some students do not attend fraternity parties.
"This is something that was advocated to us by [Safety and Security] because it makes a difference," he said. "This program helps not only the 60 percent of students involved in Greek organizations, but the people who have to deal with the drunken fools afterward."
When the candidates were given time to question each other, Patinkin, who campaigns as a fresh outside perspective, asked the experienced Zubricki why he hasn't made the changes he proposes to make in the three years he has already served.
"Well I haven't really been student body president before," he said. "But the two things I'm most proud of on the Assembly are the Dartmouth Town Meeting and the Student-Faculty Brunch."
Zubricki then fired back a question about Patinkin's experience, demanding to know if he could name "one solid project [he has] worked on with the administration."
Patinkin then cited working to ensure more facilities for the figure skating team as an example of his greatest collaboration with the administration.
Zubricki then asked Andreadis what he would tell the leaders of the Greek system to change.
"I wouldn't ask them to change anything, "he responded. "I would ask them to continue the work they've been doing to make their spaces more inclusive."
Andreadis also stated that he does not "endorse negative campaigning." EPAC found him unconnected to the negative BlitzMail endorsing him earlier Monday afternoon.
The vice presidential candidates also answered questions from EPAC and were given the opportunity to question each other.
After EPAC said that the vice president does not hold much power in the Assembly, each of the candidates disagreed. They unanimously stated that the vice president has more behind-the-scenes power than the president, whom they portrayed as the face of the Assembly.
