Twitter Battle for ASUN Presidential Race overshadows Vice Presidential Candidates Hugging
More Agreement than Debate on Stage but not on Twitter
In the hours leading up to the ASUN Vice Presidential Debate Monday night, Twitter turned into a firestorm of exchanges between presidential candidates Dom Hall and Andrew McKinney.
In contrast, Monday night’s debate between the two students vying to be vice president turned into more of a complimentary conversation than a debate, with the candidates spending much of their rebuttal time agreeing with each other.
As per particularities of ASUN, whereby a vice presidential can be affiliated or not, Brown is not running with a presidential candidate, while Feil is running with McKinney.
Feil is a junior studying Community Health Sciences. She is currently the ASUN Director of Campus Wellness.
Brown is a sophomore studying psychology and political science. He currently serves as the ASUN Chief of Staff and Chief Presidential Aid.
The Role of the Vice-President
Some students on campus have trouble understanding the role of student government. To some it appears as a show, with little real impact on their education and college experience.
A very small percentage of students are involved with ASUN. Only 15% of students voted in the 2019 ASUN elections.
Although some may not realize it, the ASUN government provides important services to students. The Vice President is a key player in providing those services to students. To list a few of their duties, they help coordinate new student Orientation, run the Pack Internship Grant Program and act as a liaison for student services provided by the ASUN. Some of these services include Campus Escort, Pack Provisions and ASUN Scholarships. A full list of ASUN services can be found online.
If Anything, Friendly
Debates for office can oftentimes be intense. Just look at the tensions between candidates Hall and McKinney. Between Brown and Feil, however; the relationship appears to be more amicable. The two candidates currently work for the ASUN government under the same president and have past experience working together.
The debate quickly turned into a discussion as candidates answered questions regarding their responsibilities, plans and the feud between the presidential candidates.
Playing off the other candidate, the two expanded on each other’s points and ideas, often finding common ground on the direction they want to take the role of Vice President.
“I am running for this position simply because I want to create change on campus,” Feil said after the debate. “I also want to be a voice for students because so many students feel like their voice isn’t heard.”
“My campaign model is to make success more accessible,” Brown said. “I think the University and ASUN as a whole have so many great resources that are underutilized. I think it’s important to go into student spaces to help promote their usage.”
As the debate came to a close, the candidates thanked the audience and ended it all with a hug.
