A debate between candidates for the upcoming Student Association election will be held Friday, March 20 in Knox 104 at 6 p.m. This is the first SA debate to be held in recent years.
Candidates for president, vice president, treasurer and delegates will participate in three rounds of questioning, according to Angel Rosario, SUNY SA delegate and coordinator of the debate.
The first round will feature questions from students compiled by Rosario about the candidates' platforms and what they will do if elected.
"A lot of students brought up good questions for individual parties, so I'll be bringing those up as well," Rosario said. "There will be questions about character to reveal how aware the candidates are, if they are elected, [about] what their responsibilities will be."
Candidates will be asked trivia-style questions in the second round to test their knowledge of issues like the responsibilities of the Student Association and the SA Constitution. They will not know which questions they will be asked before the debate begins.
"A lot of it is information that, if you didn't do your research, will expose you as not having done it," Rosario said.
Candidates will also have the opportunity to ask each other questions anonymously, submitted and chosen prior to the debate.
Rosario said he hopes that giving students the chance to learn more about the candidates' platforms will diffuse the idea that the election is a popularity contest.
"Last year we ran unopposed and it was the first time in a while that happened," Rosario said. "This is definitely one of the more competitive years."
With a large number of candidates running this year, Rosario felt it was important to give students the opportunity to find out as much about the candidates as possible.
"Hopefully another delegate can continue this next year," Rosario said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
