Here,read the full detailed interviews Culture Reporter Art Goodson gave candidates Kornelius Bascombe, Andrew Swanson, and Jim Ceresnak, that did not make the printed edition. Interviews are in Q&A form.
Kornelius Bascombe
Question: With the current economic conditions, many students are concerned about the possibility of reducing funds for student organizations and activities. What do you think you, as student body president can do to address the problem?
Answer: Funding is down everywhere, not just NCSU, so I want us to look more into making sure funds are equally dispersed, and make sure that student are aware of what their funds go towards.
Q: Last year’s tunnel incident brought a lot of controversy and attention to NCSU, what do you think makes you well prepared to deal with those types of issues.
A: I think my involvement around campus, including being on the President’s Roundtable and both UAB and BSB has prepared me well to deal with controversial issues like the tunnel incident. Thanks to my experience I have an understanding of and appreciation for different opinions and cultures, and the importance of NCSU living up to its promise of equality for all.
Q: Many students have expressed concerns about space on campus in places like the buses and the atrium, do you have any plans to address these issues.
A: It is tough to deal with those problems because of the economic conditions, but as far as transportation it is important that we use our buses in an effective way, and plan for peak times. There is also currently a plan to expand Talley Student Center’s food court so hopefully that alleviate some of the issues with the atrium.
Q: There have been many discussions about the problems with tution and fees for students, how do you plan to advocate for the student body?
A: I think it is most important for students to understand what their tuition and fees are going towards, why tuition and fees are going up, and to understand the effects of the economic crisis. There are, for example, some things that student want that may raise tuition but could be supported because students believe they would greatly help the student body like my idea for a one time fee for print quota.
Q: What do you think can be done to make NCSU more attractive to prospective students?
A: It would help to try to create more of a bond between faculty and staff, and have more events beyond just homecoming and welcome week. I think it would also be a good idea for NCSU to involve students in events involving sustainability and cleanliness.
Q: What changes would you like to see made concerning athletics and campus traditions.
A: I would love to see our traditions become more diverse and exciting, and have our events reflect the great number of different cultures here at NCSU. Homecoming and other traditional events need to reflect NCSU being the melting pot that it is, and campout should be more fun and more interesting. Campout should include more than just camping out and should incorporate other activities into the event.
Andrew Swanson
Q: With the current economic conditions, many students are concerned about the possibility of reducing funds for student organizations and activities. What do you think you, as student body president can do to address the problem?
A: I think it is important to unite students through their ideas, the student body should decide what the best way for us to deal with budget problems is. I also have faith that many student groups are innovative enough to find their own ways around budget problems, and find alternative sponsorship.
Q: Last year’s tunnel incident brought a lot of controversy and attention to NCSU, what do you think makes you well prepared to deal with those types of issues.
A: I think those students made those poor decisions because they did not understand the value of diversity. I think people unite under similarities but learn from their differences, the students are the best ones to find solutions to controversial problems and the best way to prepare them for those decisions is to educate them as to the value of diversity.
Q: Many students have expressed concerns about space on campus in places like the buses and the atrium, do you have any plans to address these issues.
A: Those problems are tough to deal with due to the economic problems, but the best way is to solicit ideas from the student body, the more voices in the discussion the better. I’m completely open to criticism of my own ideas, and the ideas created by the student body. Out of 32,000 students, I have faith that one of them has an idea that can help solve the problem.
Q: There have been many discussions about the problems with tution and fees for students, how do you plan to advocate for the student body?
A: I think it is most important for students to understand where their tuition and fees are going. I think students should be allowed to actively contribute to making funds be better dispersed, and should be allowed to change how funds are distributed.
Q: What do you think can be done to make NCSU more attractive to prospective students?
A: I think my campaign distinguishes itself from the other campaigns because it sees the students as an extremely active part of the decision making process. I think the best way to make the university more attractive is to give the university to the students and let them see their own ideas put into practice. Students would be more enthusiastic about their ideas if they could see them implemented.
Q: What changes would you like to see made concerning campus athletics and campus traditions?
A: I like the incentive ideas for coming to games, I also think we should find a way to reward the students for winning games. We need to find a way to create places where student can unite as a campus.
Jim Ceresnak
Q: With the current economic conditions, many students are concerned about the possibility of reducing funds for student organizations and activities. What do you think you, as student body president can do to address the problem?
A: There is no question that budget cuts in response to the current economic conditions are soon going to be affecting students in very tangible ways on campus. We will likely see a reduction in campus services, a reduction in classes offered, and very likely a reduction in funding for student groups. While it will be a challenge to secure money for student groups as the University will be committed to maintaining the most critcal campus services first, I pledge to fight for every dollar possible for student groups as your next student body president. The university experience is as much about finding out who we are as individuals as it is about receiving a formal classroom education. Student groups allow students to find their niches and grow as people while they participate in the activities that interest them. I will present this argument to the administration when advocating for student group funding. Also, the first thing I plan to do as student body president is to make all university budgets transparent and accessible online. There is no excuse for wasteful spending on any level in these tough times and I pledge to insist on financial accountability from the administration to the bowling club. When we spend money wisely, we will save money and we will be better able to allocate available funds to the groups that need them.
Q: Last year’s tunnel incident brought a lot of controversy and attention to NCSU, what do you think makes you well prepared to deal with those types of issues.
A: The tunnel incident last year was an extremely shameful and embarrassing event for our school and I am glad that it has prompted a conversation about diversity issues not only at NC State, but state-wide. I am committed to doing everything in my power as student body president to ensure that that conversation continues, that solutions to problems are found, and that new policies addressing these issues are effectively implemented. The time has passed for “band-aid” solutions to diversity problems. We must make a commitment to real progress and understanding between people so that we all may better co-exist on campus and in society. I don’t claim to be an expert on diversity issues, but I promise to address these problems with an open mind and a true commitment to understanding so that we may together, work to create a culture of mutual respect on our campus.
Q: There have been many discussions about the problems with tution and fees for students, how do you plan to advocate for the student body
A: Finding common sense solutions is the theme of my campaign, and I believe problems with traffic, busing and campus renovations can all be addressed with that sort of attitude. There are several hundred civil engineering students at NC State that could be working on solutions to campus transportation problems as a part of their education. It just makes sense to use their skills and brain-power to improve our campus instead of hiring expensive contractors. Also, I will work to keep the ball rolling on planned renovations to Talley Student Center and the Atrium, but I will not allow those projects to be started without significant student input on what they would like to see in those spaces. I am tired of the administration believing that architects and developers know better what students want then the students themselves. We deserve a say in the decisions that will affect us and I promise to be a strong voice for students in these matters.
Q: What do you think can be done to make NCSU more attractive to prospective students? It would help to try to create more of a bond between faculty and staff, and have more events beyond just homecoming and welcome week. I think it would also be a good idea for NCSU to involve students in events involving sustainability and cleanliness.
A:I will work diligently to ensure that tuition and fees remain as low as possible by looking for innovative ways to cut costs. Through a campus-wide sustainability initiative, we can save countless dollars by cutting our energy consumption. I plan to promote sustainability by implementing energy saving measures and then using a portion of the savings generated for merit scholarships that can be given to outstanding student innovators. Through creative money-saving measures like these, we can keep NC State as affordable as possible. Also, as I mentioned before, the first thing I plan to do as student body president is to make all budgets transparent to ensure that we are spending money wisely. This is the first step to financial accountability and it will help us fight to keep tuition and fees as low as possible.
Q: What do you think can be done to make NCSU more attractive to prospective students?
A: I think one of the best ways we can make NC State more attractive to prospective students is by working for a culture of mutual respect here as I mentioned before. While we are many different people from many different backgrounds, we are one Wolfpack family. I think that the respective community atmospheres that different universities provide are what sways many students to choose one college or another. By creating a stronger and healthier community here, I feel that many more students will be enthusiastic to join the Wolfpack. It is my belief that this all starts with “Hello”. A freshman Agri-buisness major told me a few weeks ago that the one thing he didn’t like about NC State is that no one says “hello” on campus. I pledge to make NC State a more friendly and respectful campus to make the quality of life here just a little bit better. I know that this is not the answer to all our problems, but I feel that starting with this small gesture will provide us with a foundation for building a better community.
Q: What changes would you like to see made concerning campus athletics and campus traditions?
A: Gamedays and traditions are two essential parts of our college experience here at NC State. I am committed to enhancing these by continuing to promote awareness of our traditions, and by working with alumni to make gamedays even better. I will work with orientation counselors to ensure that incoming freshman understand what NC State is all about, and that they are excited to join our family. “The Brick,” a book about our school and traditions that was given to all incoming freshman this past fall, was a great start. I hope to find more ways to educate all our students about the glory of NC State. I also hope to work with alumni to learn more about our past, but also to secure funding for things that will make our gamedays better, such as more student entrances to football games, and more tailgating time. By better understanding our community, we can better enjoy it and become a part of it. I look forward to working to achieve this as your next student body president.
