Lights! Camera! Election!

(CU Independent graphic/Adam Milner)

UCSU has released the unofficial list of ballot candidates for the upcoming elections, said Jason Gonzales, UCSU director of media relations.

Tri-executive candidate for the Empower Ticket, Peter Swanson, a 20-year-old junior advertising major, said he was inspired to run for a UCSU position by his experiences with club sports at CU.

�I got involved in a lot of club sports stuff and ended up as the captain of the swim team,� Swanson said. �I wanted to see what we could do to better the program and the Rec Center�things like that I really care about.�

Swanson said one of his goals as a UCSU candidate is to create a system that will allow student groups to thrive without having to raise tuition fees.

�We need to try to use the resources we have in a way that�s smart, to help groups grow without having to spend a ton of money,� Swanson said.

The CU Independent was unable to contact all candidates on the ballot.

Representative candidate for the Empower ticket, Rodrigo Gonzalez, a 21-year- old senior chemical and biological engineering and economics major, said his experience as chair of the UCSU finance board makes him an ideal candidate.

�Out of all the people running, I am the longest serving member of UCSU,� Gonzalez said. �I will be bringing a lot of experience and since I�ve worked so much with the cost centers I�m very knowledgeable about what expectations are
realistic.�

Gonzalez said he feels it is important to educate students about what UCSU provides and to address issues that students are not capable of seeing.

�We need to get students more involved,� Gonzalez said. �If students understood the amount of influence [UCSU] can have and the money we control�people can make a lot more of a difference then they thought and UCSU is the perfect way to do that.�

Tri-executive candidate for the Veritas Ticket, John (Hunter) Barnett, a 22-year- old senior finance major, said he has also served as a member of the UCSU finance board.

�I am running because, I guess like any leader, I want to make a difference,� Barnett said. �I have seen both sides of the table, knowing the issues and knowing what�s important to the students is why I�m going to run.�

Barnett said he feels the large issues facing students are higher education reforms and budget cut backs.

�Definitely one of my personal goals would be working with administration and really fighting for students,� Barnett said. �Affordability is something pretty big we should all work on.�

Fighting for students includes working with cost centers to ensure proper spending and services that meet students� expectations, Barnett said.

Sanket Merchant, a 21-year-old finance and economics major, is also a Tri-executive candidate for the Veritas ticket.

�We need to look at ways where we can make CU more accessible to a handful of different students from all walks of life,� Merchant said.

Merchant said he is both apprehensive and excited to see how the election will unfold.

�Now that it�s here it�s kind of hard to believe,� Merchant said. �This election has the potential to reach out to a handful of students and we can truly get down to the issues students care about.�

Swanson said the election experience will be beneficial regardless of the outcome.

�Just the whole process of going through and forming a ticket is really eye-opening,� Swanson said. �You get to go out and be a part of a larger picture.�

According to the UCSU Web site, spring 2010 elections will be held from April 5 to April 9.

The official ballot won’t be released until Wednesday, according to Gonzales.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Kylie Horner at [email protected].