Acting Student Association President Ernesto Alvarado received five of a possible six club council endorsements on Tuesday night after endorsement forums were held in Student Union 330.
Candidates sound off
Tuesday night, the candidates had two opportunities to address UB's clubs to try to gain their endorsements.
The main focus of Assaf's second time slot was his plan to work around the current smoking ban.
'We will build several separate rooms where students can smoke inside the Student Union,' Assaf said.
He believes that it will soon be too cold for smokers to go outdoors and wants to provide an alternative.
A student reminded him that smoking inside is illegal in New York State.
'I'm going to find a way around it,' Assaf said.
He proposed that the smokers throw parties to raise funds for these new rooms.
Assaf was also asked what he plans to do to bridge the gap between SA and the clubs. He responded that he would hold meetings to explain the benefits of SA membership and everything that is involved, as he believes that not enough information is transmitted to students.
'Even now, I don't know everything about SA,' Assaf said.
Most of the candidates admitted that they did not know as much about SA as would normally be desirable.
'There was a time crunch with this special election,' Munson-Ellis said when asked in both time slots how much he knows about the processes within SA.
But Munson-Ellis expects to learn quickly and hopes for help from the clubs in this regard.
'[All of us] are learning on the fly every day,' he said.
Munson-Ellis said that if elected, his first act would be to talk to University Police Department Chief Gerald Schoenle about improving safety, especially on South Campus.
During his time slots, Alvarado fielded questions about SA's lack of communication and availability.
'It's something we're trying to work on, but we're human,' he said.
Alvarado added that the staff had all put their class schedules on their office doors.
Alvarado assured students that SA is fighting UB's new policy of banning alcohol at club events, and urged clubs to put pressure on UB's administration to revoke the ban.
He also agreed with a student that SA should support clubs by attending functions, rather than simply throwing money at them.
'Your parents might give you a check, but it doesn't mean they love you,' Alvardo said.
Farah had to field questions in both time slots about why he would make a better president than Alvarado when they ran under the same platform.
'We ran under the same platform and share the same vision … [But] I have proven that I am competent and able to bring about those issues,' Farah said.
He listed several things that he claimed to have done single-handedly, such as implementing 24-hour busing and the small concert series, in which Asher Roth was the first performer.
Farah remained vague when questioned about his campaign's claim of integrity and how it related to his recent behavior.
'Integrity means doing it for the students, not yourself,' he said.
One student asked how he planned to work on his relationship with his staff when he has repeatedly and publicly denounced them.
'Friendship shouldn't play a part [in politics],' Farah said.
He reminded the crowd that he had taken a $3,000 pay cut and asserted that he had cut his staff's pay as well, despite the fact that some of the members disagreed with his decision to do so.
Academic Coordinator Cheryl Mohabir feels that Alvarado has a good chance of winning.
'We have some very qualified candidates, but the clubs will vote for who they trust,' she said. 'They are the backbone of SA and their opinions should matter … The candidates should recognize that this is who they're working for.'
As an SA staff member, Mohabir was unhappy that Farah chose to list his administration's accomplishments as things that he had personally done.
'One person doesn't get all the credit for what thousands of students put on,' she said. 'It shows you don't respect your staff when you can stand up there and fully take the credit.'
Shervin Stoney, the sport clubs coordinator, was upset by the fact that Farah was running again.
Club officials make their choices
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