Candidates for Student Senate, Exec. Board make case for candidacy on MCTV

One half-hour after a rain-snow mix blanketed the campus, MCTV featured nine of the 12 candidates for student governmental positions during the live production of “Campus Candidates: Student Senate.”

Producer Caitlin Schultz, a junior, arranged the half-hour event in four segments.  Candidates discussed such issues as bringing an honor’s program to the college, campus-wide wireless Internet, improving parking and Muskie Bus transportation, solutions for reducing vandalism and ways to encourage students to remain on campus during the weekends.

Three candidates, including junior secretary candidate Matt Bjelac and junior Shea Groves, were not present. Groves is competing for the junior vice presidential position against sophomore Lindsey Wilson.

Thus far, Groves’ opponent has chalked the quad, created a Facebook group and posted flyers in Kelley Hall to publicize her candidacy. Wilson gave advice to student voters who might still be wavering about whether they should select her for the junior vice presidential position over opponent Groves.

“I may not be as outspoken, but that allows me to be a better leader because I listen,” said Wilson.

Following the meet-the-candidates-style segments, Schultz intended the fourth and final segment of the program to be a debate between juniors David Shahbodaghi and Student Senate Junior Vice President Rachel Thompson. Both candidates are running for the Executive Board vice presidential office.

Shahbodaghi declined to attend the debate due to an undisclosed illness.

In Shahbodaghi’s absence, Thompson had an opportunity to field several questions, many of which pertained to concerns about Thompson possibly emphasizing environmental issues and neglecting students’ other concerns.

However, Thompson said she would serve as a true representative of her constituents’ concerns.

“If someone presents an issue that I think I can help them with, then I will, even if it’s unrelated to making our campus [environmentally] sustainable,” said Thompson. “But there’s very few things that aren’t related to that.”

Shahbodaghi said that while he likes his opponent on a personal level, he felt that, unlike his challenger, he was not beholden to any particular group on campus.

“I’ve been involved in a diverse mix of groups,” he said.

Shahbodaghi’s involvements include the Lambda Sigma Omicron Delta Kappa honoraries, being a resident assistant, serving as secretary-treasurer of the Phi Alpha Theta history honorary and being affiliated with the Neuroscience Club. He has also worked with the New Concord Fire Department for the past three years and has been an emergency medical technician.

Shahbodaghi said that while some voters might consider him a risky choice due to his having to be “on call” at any time of day, his commitments as a firefighter and EMT have not hindered him from attending to his obligations for other leadership groups.

Shahbodaghi said that, if need be, he could turn off his pager during Student Senate meetings. He said he felt confident that other firefighters and emergency medical technicians could handle some emergency situations in his place.

Online voting for Student Senate and Executive Board candidates takes place from April 13 through April 17.