Opening Statements

The USG presidential and vice presidential candidates debated issues of student involvement, organizational relationships and commitments to the university Tuesday night in the Student Union. Representatives from the Student Union Board of Governors (SUBOG), ConnPIRG, Board of Trustees, WHUS and the USG advisor posed questions for the candidates to answer.

"We believe in change," said Ryan McHardy, an 8th-semester political science major and current USG president, who is running for re-election. McHardy said one of the biggest challenges is that USG is still not where it's supposed to be and has a long way to go, but at the same time, has come a long way.

"It has been incredible to experience trial and error during the past year," McHardy said. "I know what works and what doesn't. Students come first and you must be a leader that leads by example. You need to look at what's important to university and also important to yourself," he said.

Issues such as making sure that students understand what USG encompasses and improving student involvement were raised.

Mike Cronin, a 4th-semester history major and Cara McDonald's vice-presidential running mate, said that representation and diversity are two important elements that must be addressed. USG itself can attempt to encourage student participation, and Cronin said that more students would become involved if they felt like they had a voice.

"We must address what happens before the fact," said Robert Puff, an 8th-semester management and political science major who is running for president. "It is kind of like a car accident. It is important to look at what you could have done to prevent it the next time. Our duty in USG and as students on campus is to be more actively involved in what is going on in both the community and also in the world."

Vladimir Voinov, a 6th-semester political science major and presidential candidate, said that more advertising through TV, Facebook and radio on a personal level would help to get more people involved with USG.

Sustainability was also debated among the candidates. Puff noted that USG must make sure that things do not just stay constant - creating new initiatives and fostering progress within the student body to keep traditions growing.

McHardy said that USG is ever-changing. Documents need to be revisited and guidelines need to be updated to keep the culture up to date, he said.

When the Student Trustee representative asked the candidates what the biggest shortcoming is, communication was discussed.

"We need more effective communication, both internal and external," said Meredith Zaritheny, a 6th-semester communications and political science double major who is McHardy's running mate.

Funding was also an important issue for many candidates. Cronin referred to it as a very cumbersome process.

Puff agreed, and noted that the funding system used to be a paper system. He said it has clearly come a long way, but there is also room for improvement. Things such as better equipment for funding staff and students could make the process easier, he suggested.

Voinov said that funding boards could find alternative methods, such as private donor databases or individual fundraisers, which could help this situation.

Voinov also said that some of the greatest challenges are the negotiations that USG will undertake with administration in regards to policy issues. He discussed new campus safety techniques that could include students on campus.

"We are looking at a student coalition of dedicated people that would serve to mitigate critical instances on campus, trained in part by police department or other independent organizations such as GUARDdogs that would personify vigilance on campus," he said.

"Standards need to be met and incidents need to be reported that are harmful to students," Voinov said. "Learning how to properly respond to crises and emergency situations is very important."

All of the candidates agreed that representing the student body and university as a whole is one of the most important elements in holding the position of president and vice president on campus.

"We care and we do want to represent," Cronin said. "Our ticket is unique because it doesn't represent a Greek ticket, a USG insider ticket or a sports ticket. It represents everyone and is open to the entire student body. Not being locked into certain views is a large part of it," he said.

McHardy said that USG has proven that it can bring about change, and would continue to do so under his leadership.

Voinov said that he believes his platform reflects the needs of the students and that he is the middle-of-the-road ticket that represents reform that would serve to benefit the student body.

"Everyone is qualified and brings something unique to the table," Puff said.

Elections begin Monday, April 14 and run until Thursday, April 17. Voting takes places online at USG's Web site, www.usg.uconn.edu.

Contact Lindsay Fetzner at

Lindsay.Fetzner@UConn.edu.