Ohio University’s Student Senate presidential candidates faced off Wednesday evening in the first debate of the campaign season.
About 40 people gathered in Baker University Center’s Bobcat Student Lounge to watch the Board of Elections’ debate among independent candidate Jared Henderson, REACH’s Zach George and yOU’s Tony Koehling.
Candidates answered nine questions — six from the Board and three from the audience.
“(The candidates) really have a huge amount of respect for one another, and I think that it’s been really great,” said Kate Steven, chair of the Board of Elections. “They’ve been really respectful (so far this campaign season), and they were here, too.”
The debate got testy, though, when a question arose about the candidates’ differing campaign strategies and George addressed Koehling’s largely Web-based choices.
“(Koehling) has to show up in order to race,” George said. “Who’s to say he won’t show up for the next 365 as president?”
Koehling defended his campaign strategy, which is based on a $145 budget, and said his homemade shirts and banners are effective.
“I’ve been around,” Koehling said. “People have seen me. As president, you will see me at the responsible and right times.”
Questions ranged from what the candidates would first address if elected to how they would handle the university’s party-school reputation.
Henderson’s answers stressed his commitment to student involvement and serving as a spokesman, adding that he can be reached at his website — Jaredforpresident.tumblr.com — that launched Tuesday and via email and social-networking sites.
“We need a senate that is dedicated to serving students when we have an administration that’s not willing to always do that,” said Henderson, a junior studying philosophy.
George said one of the largest problems the university faces is that it suffers from an identity crisis.
“We don’t know who we are,” said George, a junior studying finance. “We need to stop being a jack-of-all-trades and identify the core competencies.”
When faced with how to overcome OU’s party-school reputation, all candidates agreed to push OU’s academics.
“We shouldn’t fight the party-school image,” said Koehling, a junior studying political science. “We should overshadow it.”
sj950610@ohiou.edu
