didates ALL PEOPLES' PARTY KYM STEWART BRIAN CHANG " Simplification and education ot financial aid process e Women's coordinator in r esidence halls Sdncase programs benefitting students of color * Simplify student group funding process BLUE PARTY GLEN ROE EUSE ERICKSON * Quality of life consortium * Academic enhancement programs * Teamwork * Restructuring MSA * Health Issues DEFEND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PARTY ERIKA DOWDELL JESSICA CURTIN * Reverse the drop in minority enrollment * Defend affirmative action " Build the emerging mass 1 ; civil rights and student movement * Stop tuition increases FRIENDS REBELLING AGAINST TYRANNY PARTY GALAXOR NEBULON SARA SWEAT * Appoint a monkey regent * Employ good-looking GSI's * Impeach two members of MSA per week * Put Coke in water fountains INDEPENDENT HIDEKI TSUTSUMI JIM SECRETO * Lower tuition * More options in housing and residence hall food * Expand online textbook buyn . s * Expand bus service WOLVERINE PARTY RORY DIAMOND MARCY GREENBERGER * Increased availability of student facilities * Tax exemptions on textbooks * Better street lighting * Toilet seat covers and soap dispensers in all campus ZA Is 0 am pus leade of the student body. Mediator. rtic orof the student voice. Listener. Lia on e a inistratIon. Speech maker. Dealing wi a - nt eadache. This is how soon-to-be lame s describes his job as Michigan Student Asse president. When choosing MSA president and vice president, students must consider not only what they're voting for, but who they're voting for. This year the six executive slates running for the two top spots on MSA represent a variety of factions of the University community and their unique perspectives present the student body with a difficult choice. Kym Stewart with the All Peoples' Party, Glen Roe with the Blue Party, Erika Dowdell with the Defend Affirmative Action Party, Galaxor Nebulon with the Friends Rebelling Against Tyranny Party, Hideki Tsutsumi as an independent candidate and Rory Diamond with the Wolverine Party are all vying for Elias's position. Candidates are addressing issues this election season that run the gamut from lowering tuition to having a 24-hour Central Campus Recreation Building and library, to defending affirmative action to appointing a monkey to the University Board of Regents. And although many issues overlap, each candidate has a distinctly different platform. Inviting everyone to the party One of this year's new parties, the All Peoples' Party formed on the belief that students do not utilize MSA enough and its representatives are disconnected from the community. "We don't represent one ideology, one view or one platform," Stewart said. "We're all-inclusive of every single person and idea." Although Stewart said the All Peoples' Party doesn't have a defined platform, its goals include simplifying the financial aid process, placing women coordinators in residence halls and making the student group funding process easier. "Issues become our platform," Stewart said. "Unless we're getting it directly from the students, we're not going to tell them what they need" Another goal of the All Peoples' Party is to bring MSA closer to student groups by getting members of student groups elected to the assembly. In fact, the All Peoples' Party requires its members to be part of student groups. "You need people in MSA who are the people who MSA is repre- senting, Stewart said. Stewart said her qualifications for president are her experience and her skills in communication. "I'm approachable," said Stewart, who has been on MSA for two years. "Students know me and know to utilize me. I've tried my best to hear all different angles," she said. CATCHing the vote The Blue Party, using the slogan C.A.TC.H., an acronym for Con- nectivity, Academics, Teamwork, Concepts and Health, wants to build a greater sense of campus community, lobbying for reform and enhancing the University experience. Connectivity, said Elise Erickson, the party's vice-presidential candidate, is an attempt to con- nect all campus groups. Roe and Erickson say they plan to use a monthly quality of life consor- tium as a forum for such topics as safety, diversi- ty, racism, and drug and alcohol use. "A quality of life consortium would bring stu- dents together from all different communities. This is a fantastic way to come together once a month and propose feasible, proactive changes," she said. Academically, the candidates want to develop an online auditing system, which would enable students to see how close they are to graduation or what classes they need to complete a double major. Their plan for next year also includes forming an academic honor code, improving advice online and having mid-term course evaluations. Teamwork simply means that the Blue Party will support other members in the assembly - regardless of party affiliation. With Concepts, the two want to restructure the way the assembly works. Finally, the Blue Party believes that Health contributes to the overall well-being of students at the University, and they want to improve lighting throughout the campus and implement health infor- mation centers at both the Michigan Union and Pierpoint Commons. "I feel as if I can do a lot of good for MSA, the University and stu- dents," Roe said. "This job involves a lot of time and sacrifice but I'm willing and I want to do it." Defending a movement Dowdell said she and running mate Jessica Curtin are vying for the executive offices to "represent the minority students and more pro- gressive students on campus. "Our number one point is reversing the drop in minority enroll- ment, which is directly intertwined with affirmative action," Dowdell said. "Our university and the country are at a crossroad. The fight to defend affirmative action is a fight for the integration and equality won by the Civil Rights movement," Curtin said. If elected, the two say they hope to build the civil rights and student movement, defend affirmative action, continue to support lifting the sanctions against Iraq, abolish the Code of Student Conduct, imple- ment a nationwide tuition freeze and end police harassment of stu- dent parties. "We believe we can successfully defend affirmative action and reverse the drop in minority enrollment and fight all inequality in society from K-12 education to the grave,"Curtin said. Hey MSA, got milk? In contrast to the goals of the other parties, the Friends Rebelling Against Tyranny party seeks to lighten the atmosphere of this year's election season. Nebulon and his running mate Sara Sweat, said the goal of the FRAT party "is to put the 'party' back in political party". Nebulon, also known as LSA sophomore Ryan Hughes, is attempt- ing to legally change his name. He said at this point, the courts have told him changing his name for fun is not a valid reason for a new title. "I'd like to be known as strong bones and teeth," Nebulon said. "There's not enough calcium and strong bones in MSA. I'd like to put the nutrition back into MSA' Nebulon's main issue is getting Coca-Cola put into the drinking fountains on campus. He also discussed the options of Diet Coke and Sprite. "We'll see what happens,"he said. Another issue of attack on Nebulon's docket is reforming current MSA practices. "I think it would be an appropriate policy for MSA to adopt a no- homework policy" Nebulon said. "We'd also like to establish a com- mittee where if you 'like-like' someone, they have to 'like-like' you back. A panel of administrators should plan it because a panel of administrators can do just about anything" "Our goal is to promote fun on all college campuses;" Sweat said. "I have a dream for this nation," Nebulon said. "There's a lot that needs to be done here. I gotta stay around until my work is done." Say "Hi" A familiar face on campus is Tsutsumi, who has flashed his "Hi!" sign in every window and open door since May 1999. "This election is different from the rest. Every other year the stu- dents don't know the candidates. This year, the majority of the stu- dent body knows me;" Tsutsumi said. "I have four main goals - cheaper new textbooks, lowering the tuition rate increase, getting better quality dorm food and improving the University bus system," he added. "My general theme is saving money. I'm an economics major - I can do that" Tsutsumi said he can lower textbook prices by encouraging students to purchase their books online. The lack of business to area bookstores will force the stores to lower their prices, he said. He also wants to increase the frequency of buses to North Campus on the weekends. Tsutsumi said he feels communication with students is his strongest asset. "I have experience with students because I spent a year speaking with them. I know what they want. I hope to be the people's president" Tsutsumi said. When asked why they didn't run with one of the five parties, vice presidential candidate Jim Secreto said "parties are usually a product of the MSA system. Parties are used to get elected and are a stepping stone for resumes." The new cubs The Wolverine Party, a recent addition to MSA elections, has already left its mark on campus - the trademark wolverine paw. In a five-point plan to improve MSA, the party seeks to "breathe the life back into the assembly," according to the official party platform. The main platform issues include removing party names from the ballot, encouraging less cooperative interaction with the administra- tion, and increase the available hours of several student facilities. They would also like to improve street lighting off-campus, lift Michigan sales tax on textbooks and install toilet seat covers and soap dispensers in all campus buildings. "I want to bring MSA back to life. It's dead in the water," Diamond said. "There are a million problems and the assembly does next to noth- ing. It has no respect on campus at all. I want to totally revamp and reorganize,"he added. Diamond has served one term on MSA, running with the Students' Party in Winter 1999. Diamond claims the Wolverine Party is built on realistic goals. "We don't want to promise what we can't deliver," Diamond said. "When I left in the fall, (MSA) was in shambles. I vowed to return and fix it. I want to give a year to make the University better. This is a turning point of MSA," Diamond said. # By Lisa Koivu and Josie Gingrich m Daily Staff Reporters Execs get ready to turn over titles By Lsa Koivu Daily Staff Reporter One week from today, the new president and vice president for the Michigan Student Assem- bly will be announced and current President Brain Elias and Vice President Andy Coulouris are preparing to vacate the positions they've held for the past year. Elias said the best thing about his term was that he "finally got to hook up with Andy. "Seriously, we came wanting to improve put more students on administrative committees than they have in years past. "Those are two of the least sexy things done all year, but I think they're two of the most important functions we've served," he said. Elias said he's proudest of the assembly's work with the Michigan Union's dance policy, which discriminated against minority stu- dents. "It was at an MSA meeting that 100 students came to tell us how upset they were. Vice Presi- "Individually, it forced me to check my premises, and not just Michigamua, but being in a debate where there are intelligent voices on all sides," Elias said. "For me, its been good - both being in Michigamua and the conflict around it." "As president, there's no question its been very difficult. I'm very proud of MSA for doing the best they could, dealing with a very difficult situation that I put them in;" he added. Coulouris, though, felt Elias' membership put F a4 w x-