When it’s time to go vote in the Associate Students elections, many students feel compelled to check the box next to the name they have seen most around campus. Here at The Aztec, we focus on ideas, not people, and we would like you all to take some time to do the same. Below you will find analyses of both of the presidential candidates, without their names mentioned. Read through these and learn about the platforms each candidate plans to enact when in office to see what a vote for this person would actually mean. After you have made up your mind, look to the bottom of the page to see which candidate is for you. 

Candidate one

by Sara Tiano, Staff Columnist

A vote for this candidate means electing an Associated Students president who has years of experience working within A.S. He currently sits on the organization’s Board of Directors and has served on more than half a dozen A.S. boards and committees.

Having worked closely with previous A.S. presidents, this candidate said the role requires someone who can be the voice of the students while also acting as the CEO of a nonprofit with a multimillion-dollar budget.

He said his main goal in the multifaceted position would be to ensure that this budget is being used to bring students the resources and services they need. He promises to put students first, making sure he is accessible to his fellow Aztecs. He said solving student problems will always take precedence before any other demands of the job.

His opponent said students too often see A.S. as “puppets of the administration,” and thinks this candidate’s long history with the organization will hinder his ability to connect with students who currently feel underrepresented by their student government.

This candidate, though, said his varied extracurricular activities give him the “broad perspective of campus life” required of a truly representative A.S. president.

He has held leadership roles in more on-campus organizations than most Aztecs have ever heard of. This year he is serving a term as president of a large council that oversees more than 1,000 men. Other affiliations include business societies, athletic councils and various leadership groups.

This candidate also sits on the Campus Fee Advisory Committee and voted in favor of implementing the Student Success Fee. The finance major sees the benefit that the extra revenue would allow. He said that by opening up more course sections, the fee will help ensure students graduate on time.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to be paying more money if I have to stay for a fifth or sixth year,” he said.

Regarding recent campus bans, this candidate is most concerned with the skateboard ban. He said that skateboarding is an important part of San Diego’s culture and offers a cheap, sustainable method of transportation for students. This candidate is actively fighting to bring skateboards back to SDSU’s campus.

One area in which the two candidates differed greatly was their stance on the divestment from Israel. This candidate took the more tempered response of the two. He cited a lack of understanding of the issue among the greater student body. He stressed the importance of providing balanced information to everyone before any decisions are made.

In his closing statements, this candidate emphasized the connections he has been able to build, both with the administration and with student organizations through his active participation on campus. He said that these relationships are what will make him an effective president. When it comes to representing a student body the size of SDSU’s, these personal relationships are “where it really starts.”

Candidate two

by Morgan Rubin, Senior Staff Columnist  

A vote for this candidate means a vote for more interactivity between Associated Students and the student body. He doesn’t think that A.S. has been a useful resource for every group on campus, as it is designed to be. If elected, one of his main goals is to make A.S. more accessible to everyone and to dispel the myth that A.S. serves only as pawns to the school administration. One of the ways he says he’ll do this is by creating mandatory weekly meetings between A.S. and the different clubs and organizations on campus. Ultimately, he wants to leave a legacy that A.S. can make things happen around the school.

This candidate is very passionate about how funding for SDSU is acquired and allocated, such as the recently-approved $200 Student Success Fee. He believes the fee should be renamed to “Hiring More Teachers” fee, because it would more accurately reflect the purpose and increase transparency. While he agrees that we need more teachers and class sections, he wants to make sure that students always know where the money is actually going. He has also said that there should be stipulations in the laws of the fee that would allow students to have a say in which sections are added and if good teachers are hired on as opposed to tenured teachers that don’t have the student’s bests interests at heart.

To him, implementing new programs and events is essential to the future success of the university. For example, he wants to create “Dining with a Professor” events across departments. He explains that professors will be given a special fund to take groups of students to dinner in order to talk about career and academic goals. This is a model often used by Ivy League schools and would allow the sometimes elusive professors the chance to get to know their students. The candidate plans for the funds for this program to come from money that’s already given to the professors to go on research trips with students. His goal of creating new programs across the campus is to help students to find what they are passionate about earlier on in their college careers. This way, they’ll be involved in their majors without changing a lot, and they’ll manage to graduate on time.

If you agree with the thoughts and ideas of this candidate, this business administration junior is your guy to vote for. This candidaite is also involved with organizations such as SDSU Veterans, College of Business transfer mentor, Compact for Success mentor, and SDSU Army ROTC cadet.

As president, he would be excited to “provide an environment where ideas, innovation and passion flourish to create a connection that embodies a diverse student body of leaders.”

Voting for the general elections is from March 17 to 20 on SDSU WebPortal. Don’t miss out on the chance to make your voice heard.

Find out what your vote means…

Candidate one (Jonathan Cole)

Candidate two ( Gabriel Torres)

Photo by Monica Linzmeier, photo editor