Candidates for ASUI senators gathered in the University of Idaho Commons Monday to pitch their platforms to the UI student body.
The seven candidates in attendance gave brief opening statements where they introduced themselves an overview of their plans should they earn a seat.
The first-time candidates in attendance included Jacey Bacon, Sam Harrich, Montana Novich, Ramon Juarez and Gibraham Gomez. Current senators included Jacob Lockhart and Hannah Spear, who both are running for re-election.
Audience members asked questions covering a myriad of topics, from campus security to parking and programing for students.
Parking caused the biggest response from the candidates. Bacon said parking is always on her mind because she walks from the purple economy lot near the Kibbie Dome down to Greek Row and said the trek can sometimes feel unsafe.
Harrich said he wasn’t sure what could be done but said either infrastructure or reorganization of the parking permit system were needed.
“We need a way for people to get from those way-out-there parking places down to where they live safely. It’s not a huge concern,” Bacon said.
Lockhart and Spear both said there needed to be alternatives to driving on campus. Spear said a bike share program is in the works and is close to completion.
“The biggest issue and the reason we don’t have any parking is simply because we have to many cars here on campus and do not have an alternative that supports non-singular automobile transportation. We just don’t have it,” Lockhart said.
Gomez said his plans were to either create a bigger parking lot or to move the cars students do not use daily further away to make parking close to campus easier.
Campus safety also brought similar answers from the candidates. Lockhart, Spear, Juarez and Gomez all said there needed to be an increase in lights on campus.
Lockhart said the university needs more blue light stations, which allow students to press a button and get help if they feel unsafe on campus. He also said there needs to be more awareness and resources available to students who do feel threatened on campus.
Programing for students and Vandal Entertainment were also discussed by the candidates.
The candidates all said they thought Vandal Entertainment was doing an efficient job of listening to all the students on campus and creating events that would appeal to everyone.
The next forum will be the ASUI President Open Forum on March 21 at 4 p.m. in the Idaho Commons.
Kali Nelson can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kalinelson6