GS Student Council Candidates Debate

In preparation for Wendesday's General Studies Student Council (GSSC) election, a candidate forum was held last night in Lewisohn Hall. The inclusion of General Studies students into the Columbia community was the most discussed question of the evening, with all candidates advocating for more and better housing options for General Studies students.

Candidate for president of the GSSC Courtney Freeman and her vice presidential candidate Raul Reyes are part of the Students Excelling through eXperience (SEX) party, and are opposed by presidential candidate Michael Nadler and vice presidential candidate Mason Beard from the Students Maximizing Academic Resources for Today and Tomorrow (SMART) party. Additionally, Jimmy Dahroug is running for vice president on his own ticket.

Last night's forum was moderated by Spectator Editorial Page Editor Adam Kushner. About 35 people turned out for the debate, which was mostly civil.

"We pay tuition just like anyone else. We pay $25,000 a year plus rent, which costs more than dorms," Freeman said.

At one point, Freeman slipped and said, "When I'm president--I mean if," while her opposition mouthed the word "if."

Dahroug proposed a residence exchange between Columbia College students who want to live in apartments and General Studies students who want the community atmosphere of dorms.

Reyes disagreed with Dahroug. "I don't want to live in dorms, and even if I did, we have the last dorm selection out of all the schools," he said.

Nadler also focused on the theme of unequal treatment for General Studies students. "We can't hold executive positions in a lot of clubs, and there are less minors available to us as well," he said.

Other major topics of the debate included the separate core curriculum for General Studies students. Both SMART and SEX promoted adding Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization to the General Studies core, putting all students on equal footing for more advanced classes.

Financial aid also came up during the debate, with Dahroug noting he "received higher financial aid packages from every other college that I applied to. We have to talk to people and get this increased."

In response to questions about working with the Administration, Nadler maintained, "The Dean's office is our branch for progress, and I am not satisfied with taking 'no' for an answer from the Dean. I'm comfortable doing this because I already work with the Dean."

On the other hand, Freeman said she believes that General Studies students need "to make sure the Dean is acting on our behalf, so I want to set up a liaison to make sure we know what the Dean is doing."

Nadler cited a problem in forming a consensus among the students because the General Studies student body, including many part-time students, is so diverse. He advocated a suggestion box in the student lounge, but Freeman was adamant in her calls for a survey to learn about the issues most important to General Studies students.

Mason commented that organizing social events is a significant part of being on the student council, but Reyes said, "I won't remember social events. I want to remember making changes."

Audience members had varied reactions to the debate.

"It was respectful, not ugly at all. I thought they were all very intelligent, but I wanted to hear more about themselves. They talked about the issues but not themselves," GS student Emma Leybin said.

"It was stereotypical. Nobody was making promises, but they were just saying 'I'll try my best.' I'm curious to see whether they actually do anything though," GS student Sonya Chittiappa said.