Students fail to ask candidates questions

Free pizza and cookies lured students into the Rathskeller last night, but they didn’t stay long enough to see who was providing the goodies.

Undergraduate Student Government had refreshments out for students who attended its forum for the candidates running in the March 10 elections.

However, the majority of the students who took the snacks left the bar, leaving only the candidates, advisers, sorority sisters and fraternity brothers of the candidates and a couple of Daily Kent Stater reporters to view the debates.

Candidates were given one minute each to present platforms before the mediator asked questions such as: “How would you make yourself visible in your college?” and “What do you think is the biggest problem facing your college?”

Most candidates answered that they plan to speak with students and that making advising appointments is difficult for students in their college.

Students were given the opportunity to ask the candidates questions after they spoke.

No questions were asked of the candidates running for senator positions.

Instead, all of the questions were geared toward those running for director positions, particularly director of student involvement, director of student advancement and executive director candidates.

While most questions focused on bringing students and organizations together and building university morale, the most important question of the night was asked by a Pete’s Arena customer passing by.

“There are 30,000 students at Kent State, give or take,” he said. “Why aren’t any of them here? What are you going to do about that?”

The candidates agreed it is difficult to get students to recognize USG, especially because the group has transformed so much since it was Undergraduate Student Senate a little more than a year ago.

Students who are interested in getting to know the candidates and missed the opportunity last night can attend tonight’s men’s basketball game against Buffalo at 7 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center.

Current USG members and candidates will be at the game meeting organization presidents, and at halftime they will take center court to introduce themselves.

Contact student politics reporter Melissa Dilley at [email protected].