Student Union Executive Board candidate slates ‘URANUS’ and ‘Truants’ took aim at the ‘True 2’ slate last night, during the Student Union Election Commission’s only open forum debate of this year’s campaign.
While each slate separately fielded questions from a four-member panel, their two opponent slates and audience members. Fifty students attended the debate.
Most question were directed toward ‘True 2.’
The four-member panel, composed of City Councilor Michael Ross (Back Bay/Fenway), Student Residences at 10 Buick Street director Laura Deveau, Student Union president Ethan Clay and Daily Free Press editor-in-chief Dan Atkinson asked the slates questions ranging from their qualifications to the goals they anticipate achieving.
Deveau asked the slates why they felt Boston University should ‘break from the norm’ of local schools and fund a rape crisis center.
Both ‘URANUS’ and ‘Truants’ stressed the need for a rape crisis center at BU.
‘This situation should not exist on a campus,’ said ‘URANUS’ executive vice presidential candidate Brandon Johnson. ‘If we had an opportunity to make it that much easier for them we would be inhumane not to.’
‘True 2’ defended their position against calling for a rape crisis center and said the current slate, of which four of them are a part, had already provided students with magnets in an effort to promote awareness of the available centers in Boston.
‘As much as we would love one, a rape crisis center will not be here next year,’ said ‘True 2’ EVP candidate Remie Ferreira. ‘The responses we get say a rape crisis center does not prevent rape.’
‘Truants’ VP of Residence Life candidate Christine Hochkeppel attacked the idea of ‘True 2’ offering funding to the 4 percent of students involved in the Greek System, rather than devoting the money to a rape crisis center.
‘True 2’ was also accused of tapping into the Greek vote by ‘Truants’ VP candidate Daniel De Bonis, who also attacked the need for a Greek system itself.
‘Besides having keg parties, I don’t know what other services the Greeks offer anyway,’ he said.
‘Truants’ EVP candidate Emily Pastel also dismissed the progress Ferreira claimed this year’s ‘True’ slate made on rape prevention.
After Ferreira said the current slate had organized a campaign to put magnets in campus women’s bathrooms with rape crisis numbers, Pastel mocked the group’s efforts. She asked if a ‘comforting quote’ was included on the magnet and if telephones had been installed next to the magnets in case the cell phones ‘were stolen by someone, such as the rapist.’
Ferreira defended the use of magnets as a source of information telling the victim where to go.
‘It’s not trivial in our eyes,’ he said.
When asked whether or not the slates would stay involved if they were not elected, both ‘URANUS’ and ‘Truants’ said they would continue and possibly combine their efforts to fund a rape crisis center.
College of Communication sophomore Nicole Gonzalez said she was upset ‘True 2′ candidates’ avoidance of directly dealing with the issue.
‘I felt like when ‘True 2′ was answering questions they wouldn’t come right out and choose a side instead of choosing an issue,’ she said. ‘Instead of choosing an issue, they tried to appeal to the greatest number of people.’
When each slate directed questions to the opposing slates, ‘True 2’ VP of Student Affairs candidate Erik Dawson challenged ‘URANUS’ and ‘Truants’ candidates’ knowledge of the Student Union’s inner-workings.
After ‘URANUS’ responded incorrectly to his question, Ferreira corrected the slate’s mistake and was mocked by ‘URANUS’ presidential candidate Adam Eisenhut, who made a masturbatory gesture in response. Several audience members deemed the action inappropriate.
His gesture was later addressed by School of Education sophomore Meredith Classen, who said she felt offended by Eisenhut’s response and asked why he felt the gesture was necessary.
‘It was something that everyone noticed,’ she said. ‘There’s a time and a place for everything and when you are in a forum representing a slate and you want to get votes, you have to be responsible, respectful and mature and the gesture is the exact opposite of that.’
But Eisenhut apologized and defended his actions.
‘I’m sorry you were disgusted,’ he said. ‘My behavior reflects my opinion I don’t think I should be acting any differently than a normal student would.’
Students also questioned the ‘URANUS’ and ‘Truants’ slates’ seriousness and Student Union knowledge. But Eisenhut said his slate has been working to learn the organization.
‘The past two weeks I’ve had a crash course in the BU constitution,’ Eisenhut said. ‘You need to be a part of the system to understand the system.’
‘Truants’ presidential candidate Ethan Goldwater also defended his lack of knowledge to his lack of inexperience.
‘We don’t know because we haven’t been there,’ he said.
‘URANUS’ also attacked what they called the ‘lack of respect for the rules’ ‘True 2’ had shown SUEC’s rules, citing numerous sanctions received by the slate. Slate officials said they felt ‘insulted’ by the slate’s actions.
‘True 2’ presidential candidate Carl Woog defended his slate’s ‘aggressive’ campaign as a way of informing students.
‘Some of the rules don’t allow students to know what’s going on on campus,’ he said.
Only 50 students showed up at the event.
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Marissa Brookes said she felt the small turnout reflected the student body’s feeling of a lack of control over the Union and this year’s elections. She questioned the slates’ responses to audience questions.
‘It concerns me because I don’t think it was because the students don’t care,’ Brookes said. ‘Students felt powerless that it’s an abstract body.’
Gonzalez called the turnout ‘pathetic.’
But College of Communication sophomore Sanji Maitra said she was not surprised by the low turnout because of the seeming aloofness of the ‘True 2’ slate.
‘I feel like ‘True 2′ took so much time to look into the mirror and dress themselves that they have forgotten who they are attempting to represent,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t surprised at the turnout because I don’t think anybody really cares and that will show in the number of votes.’
The elections, which are entirely administered online, begin today and last until Thursday.
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