Two undergraduate student government groups will face off in a debate on Saturday night in De Neve Auditorium preceding next week’s elections.
The Bruins United slate will debate against candidates from a coalition called QUALIFIED, comprised of members of the Students First! and the newly created SERVE slates.
Slates are coalitions of students with similar ideologies and goals who pool their campaign resources and run together.
Candidates will make opening statements and answer questions submitted by students and the Elections Board, said Mallory Wang, the chairwoman of the board.
“Even if they do not submit questions, students can still come to the debates to talk to the candidates themselves,” she added.
Bruins United presidential candidate, Jesse Rogel, said his slate focuses on six core issues: academics, affordability, sustainability, fairness and transparency in the student government, Bruin pride and campus safety.
He said that his slate’s main goal is to accomplish what it promises and represent the general student body.
Students First! presidential candidate, Cinthia Flores, said her slate is working through its platform ideas.
“We are assessing our strengths and challenges and using the endorsement hearings as an example we can learn from,” she said.
Flores added that she is excited to emphasize how her slate is different.
“Ideas are good, but candidates need the experience and concrete victories too,” she said. “Attending the debates is the first step in students’ realization of their agency. They can hold their student government accountable,” she said.
Joanne Lin, the in-house candidate for Campus Events Commissioner, said that these debates will be some of the most important in recent history because of the formation of QUALIFIED.
“We formed QUALIFIED in response to Bruins United’s choice to contest our in-house candidate for Student Welfare Commissioner, which challenged our quality and integrity,” she said.
Rogel said, “All candidates are qualified, but these debates are about showing who is the most qualified.”