Ability to meet goals questioned in forum

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Daily Wildcat Candidates for the position of executive vice president answer questions in an open forum last night in the Memorial Student Union Rincon Room. From left, Casey Cuny, Jason Arcaro, Sean Murray and J.J Rico.

The forum was held in the Memorial Student Union Rincon Room in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

Candidates were first allowed a limited time to explain their platform to the audience. Most discussed common issues, such as Student Union renovation, student apathy and campus safety.

After all 34 candidates spoke of their goals for office, students in the audience and members of the panel singled out candidates to ask specific questions about the feasibility of their platforms and their past ASUA involvement.

ASUA Treasurer Hilla Yaniv asked administrative vice presidential candidate Eric Clingan, a political science junior, how he planned to give up the $3,500 stipend for the position and keep it earmarked for ASUA programs and services.

Clingan announced earlier this week that he would forgo his stipend to provide additional funding for the portion of ASUA that he would oversee.

Yaniv said, however, that the money would fall back into ASUA's general fund and would have to be appropriated through the standard budget process.

Clingan answered that he would dodge that requirement by accepting the stipend and then writing a check as a "student-at-large" to go to programs and services.

Yaniv also questioned Clingan's desire to publish the ASUA budget in the Arizona Daily Wildcat each semester to keep students aware of where their money is going.

Yaniv said ASUA's 75-page budget is a public record and noted that none of the candidates have come in to her office to analyze it.

"I'm surprised since there is so much talk about distribution of funding and budget constraints that none of the candidates have come in to my office to look at the budget," Yaniv said.

Presidential candidate Brook Rosenbaum was also put on the spot by the representative from Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Atzl n on the panel, who asked Rosenbaum why he left his post as ASUA's federal relations director last year after he was appointe d to the position by ASUA President Rhonda Wilson, who is running for re-election.

Rosenbaum, a junior majoring in French and political science, said he was selected as an intern for the U.S. Embassy in Paris a few weeks after his appointment and informed Wilson in April of his decision to accept the internship offer. The position was l eft vacant this year although Wilson, an accounting and finance senior, said she would reinstate the position next semester if she is re-elected.

Rosenbaum was asked if he might leave his position again if elected president, to which he replied, "I'm not going to Paris again ... I promise."

Other questions focused on the common issue of campus safety.

Tim Walker, director of ASUA Escort Services, asked administrative vice presidential candidate Beau Cox, a studio art junior, about his goal to operate the Safe Ride service on Friday and Saturday nights.

"I hope to either create a way for volunteers to earn class credit or to issue a small stipend as an incentive to get people to volunteer for the Escort Service," Cox said.

Administrative vice presidential candidate Tara Taylor, a political science sophomore, said that if she is elected, she would require all ASUA programs and services directors to volunteer for Escort Services as part of their job descriptions.

Taylor also said she wants to create a 1-800 number for Escort Services so students would not need a quarter to get a ride.

Students can vote in the ASUA primary election Tuesday and Wednesday.