Illustration by Josh Hagler

For the 23 candidates running for ASUA office, the general elections today and tomorrow mark the end of a nearly month-long campaign from which only 13 will emerge standing. The Arizona Daily Wildcat Endorsements Board interviewed 21 of the contenders - the board was unable to contact senate candidates Soral Karim and Rishi Sarna - and, based on their responses, endorsed one candidate for each of the three executive positions and 10 for senatorial positions. Senatorial candidates are ranked in order of preference. Elections are held online at http://www.asua.arizona.edu from 8 a.m. today through 8 p.m. tomorrow.

Executive Offices

President - Doug Hartz

Current ASUA Sen. Doug Hartz has manageable goals and a plan for reaching them - which makes him the better candidate for next year's presidency.

Hartz has been active on this year's senate in pushing for a weeklong fall break, and he said he will continue working with administrators to make that good idea a reality.

The plan would extend the Thanksgiving break to an entire week, alleviating the current system that forces some students to skip class as they rush across the country to their families for what amounts to about a three-day vacation.

Similar proposals have already been incorporated at many universities across the country - and with good reason. A fall break would give students a welcome respite during a traditionally hectic time.

Because of his senate experience, Hartz is also familiar with ASUA issues and the workings of the presidency. He is eminently more qualified than his opponent, Aaron Black - who appears apathetic about every campus issue beyond his proposals for misters and green grass - of adequately representing the student body to the administration, Arizona Board of Regents and state Legislature.

Hartz also recognizes that tuition will rise next year, and instead of fighting to keep it at its current level - an unrealistic and fiscally irresponsible plan - he wants to lobby legislators to adequately fund higher education and push them to reject a recent proposal to divert tuition dollars from state universities.

Hartz's experience and familiarity with the issues make him the ideal candidate to lead next year's student body.

Executive vice president - Jennifer Reece

With a desire to build a better relationship between campus clubs, as well as improve relations between ASUA and the student body, Jennifer Reece is the best candidate for executive vice president.

Reece said she would like to make the funding process easier for clubs by making it the club advocate's responsibility to report information back to ASUA at weekly meetings.

Her plan to create a council of club presidents who could collaborate on event planning would give students a better opportunity to get involved in campus organizations.

Reece's experience in other campus organizations, as well as previous experience as an ASUA senator and Appropriations Board member, would make her a strong executive vice president.

Administrative Vice President - Samantha Zipp

Samantha Zipp's campaign for administrative vice president is based on feasibility - achieving realistic goals and making promises she intends to keep.

With leadership experience that includes the presidency of the Honors College, Zipp said she hopes to increase awareness of programs and services on campus.

She also wants to build a stronger union between the student body and administration so students are informed of decisions that affect them.

Zipp also said it is unrealistic to rely on money from corporate sponsors and instead plans to depend on the ASUA budget.

Her realistic goals make her an excellent choice for administrative vice president.

Senators

1. Will Harris

Will Harris' plans for defending student interests in light of recent budget cuts are realistic and well thought-out.

Harris wants to increase the activity of the Arizona Students' Association - a student lobbyist group - and also the interaction between the university and the greek community. He said he also hopes that more computer terminals can be placed around campus for students' use and, although the Wildcat disagrees with his reliance on corporate sponsors for computer funding, the idea is still sound.

With past leadership experience in Chain Gang Junior Honorary and Alpha Epsilon Delta, Harris and his obtainable goals would make him an excellent addition to ASUA.

2. Peter Wand

Peter Wand wants to put two goals into immediate action: the creation of a free student spirit shirt and a Web site showcasing affordable student housing.

In order to elevate the spirit and pride of UA athletics, Wand has already planned out the logistics of providing free T-shirts to students who want to get rowdy.

He clearly demonstrates his commitment to the student body by understanding that, with the new housing cap, many students are in need of an off-campus housing guide.

Wand, with his experience as a member of the ASUA Special Events Committee, will increase the productivity of ASUA.

3. Jason Poreda

Jason Poreda's goals are not unique, but they're manageable and they relate to legitimate student concerns.

He, like many current students and senators, is dissatisfied with the inconsistency of the academic advising process and wants to make it more visible. His idea is sound and is compatible with the Academic Advising Task Force's recent proposal to centralize advising.

His idea for office hours on the Mall and an occasional "Town Hall," where senators could listen to student concerns, would improve ASUA accountability.

His experience with the Residence Hall Association also provides him with valuable knowledge of the university's workings.

4. Victoria Ruan

Victoria Ruan's plans to improve campus safety are practical and cost-effective, two important factors in making her plans a reality.

Ruan is concerned about student safety around the planned Alumni Plaza and, although her idea to install more street lights in the area will likely lead to a dead end in a city concerned about light pollution, her work will hopefully improve safety in the area.

She also wants to promote SafeRide, an effective resource that more students should take advantage of, and work with the University of Arizona Police Department to establish a volunteer "cadet" corps that could look out for students' safety.

5. Scott Cheney

As a resident assistant at Graham-Greenlee Residence Hall, Scott Cheney has witnessed the value of having older students living with the younger.

His idea that some juniors and seniors be allowed in the residence halls is reasonable. But he should modify his proposal to limit the number of non-freshmen in the dorms to the current level of 1,000 - not 1,500 as he wants.

Looking back at his freshman year, Cheney wishes that student events had been of better quality and more effectively advertised, so he wants to add a marquee in the student union and increase the number of banners and fliers.

6. Stacey Nelson

Stacey Nelson's proposals to get more students involved in non-academic areas and to help all students gain easier access to financial aid are just two of the reasons she is a good choice for the ASUA Senate.

Nelson would also like to increase the amount of parking on campus and says she supports no more than a 5 percent tuition increase. But she also understands that state-mandated budget cuts are real and said some programs could possibly be eliminated to help offset them.

Nelson's experience working with clubs will help her achieve her goals if she is elected to the senate.

7. Adam Bronnenkant

Adam Bronnenkant is running for ASUA senate with one thing in mind: UA students.

With plans that include improving campus transportation and shuttle service, making the parking citation appeals process easier, and raising more money for club philanthropies, Bronnekant is focused on making UA a better place for students.

His experience with Campaign Arizona - UA's $1 billion fund-raiser - makes him more capable to raise money for ASUA, but his plan to seek out corporate sponsorships sounds unrealistic.

As a director on the ASUA Appropriations Board, Bronnenkant is also familiar with the workings of ASUA and has the leadership skills necessary to be an effective ASUA senator.

8. Andrew Hottovy

Andrew Hottovy has taken the admirable stance of wanting to improve freshman retention rates.

Worried by the lack of direction of undeclared freshmen, Hottovy is determined to create a contact list of students in each major that undeclared students could refer to for assistance with choosing a major.

However, Hottovy's other goal of creating a student section in McKale Center for men's basketball games is a waste of time.

UA President Peter Likins has said season-ticket holders will not give up their seats, and Hottovy's goal of persuading them to move to make room for a student section is naive.

9. Daniel Suh

Daniel Suh's plans to improve parking and transportation conditions are better than most other candidates,' but his other major platform plank sounds fiscally unreasonable.

He wants to increase awareness of a carpool program already offered by Parking and Transportation Services and create a shuttle service to nearby apartments - both good ideas amid a budget crisis that is decreasing university funding for new programs.

But his plan for late-night food delivery from Park Student Union is at the opposite of the cost-effectiveness scale. Most students using this service would likely make small purchases, and the market is probably too narrow to sustain this service (without a monetary loss.)

10. James Gosses

Although not all of James Gosses' goals sound reachable, he is concerned about legitimate student issues.

His goal to improve club involvement is admirable but could use more specifics.

His concern for safety and desire for more campus lighting is legitimate, but he will probably never overcome a Tucson culture that frowns upon excessive lighting.

He also wants to improve parking conditions - a reasonable goal - but his proposal to create a Zone 1 parking garage is implausible and nonsensical.

Still, his underlying goals are fair, and considering the lack of appeal of many other candidates, he is a better choice than the remainder of the field.