Student Assembly presidential candidates discussed diversity, community and the Assembly's role as a campus organization in a debate hosted by the Afro-American Society and Inter-Community Council on Wednesday in Cutter-Shabazz Hall. In what co-moderator David Becker '13 called the "toughest, realest, hardest debate" the second of four scheduled this week the candidates were urged to provide specific and concrete steps rather than vague answers.
Presidential candidates Max Hunter '13, Suril Kantaria '13, Erin Klein '13, J.T. Tanenbaum '13 and Rachel Wang '13 participated in the debate.
Becker and co-moderator Julius Bedford '12 asked the candidates a series of six questions concerning their definitions of diversity and plans to address campus issues, promising "bonus points" if they avoided cliches such as the words "panel, committee, discussion, forum, leadership [and] facilitate."
The debate began with a discussion of what candidates perceived to be the most pressing issues facing the College.
Hunter criticized the administration's lack of understanding of student issues and noted the "disconnect between what the administration thinks student life should be like and what students think student life should be like."
Klein said that there is a need to address "large inequities" related to issues such as homophobia, racism, classism and sexism that are prevalent on campus.
"We need to outline clear community standards and start making it cool to treat each other the way we deserve to be treated," Klein said.
Students need to be held accountable for their actions, as they currently face no consequences for disrespecting one another, according to Klein.
The feeling of being "in and out" that exists at the College needs to shift toward one of general belonging, according to Wang.
Because the College is not the "thriving community" it appears to be "on the surface," many students "feel marginalized," Kantaria said. Dartmouth is hindered by its current lack of a "true forum" in which students can relate their views, he said.
Tanenbaum challenged the student body's lack of unity and said his priority is to "bring everyone together" in order to form a "united front" capable of advocating for student needs.
"People don't recognize that they need to be part of a greater community," Tanenbaum said. The candidates agreed that the Assembly is in need of serious reform, but each suggested different paths the organization could take to deal with the student body and campus issues. Klein suggested combatting violence on campus by applying "social pressure" on the student body through the creation of a "recording system" to accumulate a list of places where students were made to feel unwelcome, she said. Kantaria proposed a system of officially including liaisons from various campus groups in Assembly discussions. Many campus groups are already working on these issues and would have valuable contributions, he said. Wang said that undergraduate advisors and members of the Greek system need more intensive training with regards to sexual assault. She said she did not feel adequately prepared as an undergraduate advisor to respond if a resident approached her about sexual assault. Tanenbaum said he would reach out to individual groups and ask them how the Assembly could help them achieve their goals.
The administration and Office of Pluralism And Leadership have a responsibility to educate student groups, specifically through diversity facilitation training sessions, according to Tanenbaum.
Klein also highlighted the need to educate students and staff and commended the ICC's recommendation that the College implement a diversity training program aimed at faculty.
Hunter emphasized the need to "equalize gendered spaces" on campus by establishing more local sororities and gender-neutral housing.
While most candidates stressed the need for greater campus dialogue and the involvement of diverse members of the student body in discussion, Hunter disagreed.
"We've talked enough," he said.
The Assembly must be legitimized by acquiring "administrative clout," he said.
During the question and answer session that followed, ICC member Anneliese Sendax '13 asked the candidates how they would ensure that the Assembly has a voice during the time of transition should College President Jim Yong Kim receive the World Bank presidency.
Wang stressed the need to present the administration with data on student opinion, referencing a student survey conducted by the Assembly about Dartmouth Dining Services, while Kantaria said the Assembly should focus on implementing its own solutions without the administration's lead.
While the candidates proposed many "great ideas," Karen Afre '12 said she had concerns about their realism.
Other students interviewed by The Dartmouth felt that the candidates' plans lacked definitive goals.
"Maybe the candidates would have been better served if they talked about specific communities and what they wanted to do with those specific communities," Archana Ramanujam '14 said.
