Student body president candidates debate today

Students will have an opportunity to get an early look at how next years student body president will perform at a debate between candidates at Beef O Bradys in the Marshall Student Center at 6 p.m.

The first debate, hosted by Student Government and Bulls Radio, will be moderated by Cole Giering, a senior majoring in biomedical sciences. Giering said the debate will put a spotlight on the platforms each ticket is running for.

We really have to ask ourselves if these candidates can handle the exposure and the position of student body president, Giering said.

The candidates, Taylor Lockwood, a junior majoring in political science, and William Warmke, a senior majoring in political science, criminology and economics, will be given 90 seconds to answer each question and will be given 60 seconds to provide a rebuttal.

This isnt high school This is the real deal, Giering said.

Giering said the debate will differ drastically from last years, in which six candidates vied for the position of student body president and answered questions about budget cuts and tuition increases.

At this debate, candidates will be seen in a personal environment, similar to the presidential debates, Giering said. I want it to be a three-way conversation.

Giering said the questions, which were formulated by Supervisor of Elections Karim Hussein and Supervisor of Senate Elections Jonathan Espinoza, will focus on how the candidates will improve Student Government and student life.

The debate will let students know who (the candidates) are and what they stand for, Hussein said.

Hussein said the debate, if time allows, will include a 10 to 15-minute period at the end for students to ask their own questions to candidates. Hussein said the first debate will be the starting point for students to learn about the candidates, and a second debate on Feb. 18 will go deeper into the platforms.

Giering said students can either attend the event, or listen live at bullsradio.org.