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The Maine Channel hosted the first-ever live, televised debate between Student Governmet nominees. General Student Senate candidates Sean Rankin and William Pomerleau on Friday afternoon. While filmed just an hour before the “Mouthguard” program, where debaters can challenge each other to a round of boxing, neither senator threw any punches.
Moderated by Andrew Eldridge, student senator and executive producer of the Maine Channel, the debate was conducted as an informal dual interview, with phone lines open for callers to provide additional topics. This included Pomerleau’s handling of the chair at the previous GSS meeting, where some senators suggested he should have yielded the chair for any discussion of an election in which Pomerleau was a candidate.
“In hindsight, yes, it was a conflict of interest,” Pomerleau said, adding that he still believed the meeting was handled legitimately. “Anyone with any parliamentary expertise whatsoever in student government, particularly vice president Aaron Sterling, has supported everything that I did that night,” Pomerleau said.
“While the meeting was taking place, I was personally distraught,” Rankin said. He stated that Pomerleau was using his knowledge to “dictate the meeting,” and that calling a recess was a preferable way for the senate to determine other options. “Combined with what he has called a conflict of interest to begin with, I think it was an inappropriate display,” Rankin said.
Another controversy addressed at the debate was the one-day team-building retreat to Bar Harbor that GSS paid for using money from student activity fees. Both senators voted for the retreat. Pomerleau called it “something that was needed badly,” adding that the atmosphere in the senate at that point was “venomous and personal.” He noted that more senators proposed resolutions after the retreat than before.
Rankin said the retreat was “not what I expected at all.” He said that less than half of the senators went, himself included, and that the more controversial members of the senate failed to attend. For Rankin, the increase in resolutions was a reaction to Eldridge’s failed resolution requiring senators to pass one resolution a semester.
A caller mentioned a video by Sean Rankin, which he described afterward as a “parody of political ads.” The video appears to include a student drinking from a “beer bong,” and features background music with cursing. The question was whether his ad would encourage the administration to take him seriously.
Rankin responded that the administration is aware that underage drinking occurs on campus, and “educated drinking” was more important. Asked whether he had consumed alcohol while underage, Rankin responded, “I’m not denying or confirming.”
Pomerleau stated that “college students drink, they did in 1950 and they do it today,” saying that education on responsible drinking was most important.
Asked about the ad following the debate, Rankin encouraged students to watch the video, available on the Facebook group, “Rankin: The Right Choice,” and judge for themselves. As for how it would affect his ability to negotiate with the administration, Rankin said, “I’m not here for personal gain or to make myself look good … My heart is with the students, not the administration.”
Mitchell and Pomerleau, who are running on the same unofficial ticket, also have a campaign site on Facebook, “Mitchell-Pomerleau 2006.” Students may vote for any combination of candidates on Election Day.
For platforms, Pomerleau said he and running mate Mitchell agreed on several ideas. One of them involves the use of parking fees to develop a beautification fund. The money could be spent on a project voted on by students. As vice president, Pomerleau would open up dialogue with students, including a “state of the senate” address, an e-mail to students highlighting senate accomplishments. He said he would negotiate with Dining Services for lower prices.
“For dining, it’s about meeting with people and saying ‘no, we need to get these prices down, this is unreasonable,’” Pomerleau said, concerning Dining Services.
“[The food services] are not adequate. The price is not adequate and in some instances the quality is not adequate. And we are really fighting hard as a group, as a committee, and as individuals, to change how Dining Services conducts itself and really services the students,” said Rankin, a member of the senate committee dealing with student services.
Rankin said he believed “the mentality that the senate has gotten into is repetition,” saying one of his goals as a vice president would be to make it more relevant to students. He said he talked to 200 students and almost none of them could even name a student senator. “Senate needs to promote an image, and senate needs to get more involved with the student body. Because we’re working for them, and they need to be our guides.” Rankin agreed that a better system of getting information to students was necessary.
The Maine Channel, channel 42 on campus, has scheduled repeated showings of the debate. It is also available on YouTube, by searching for “UMaine VP Debate.”
Bangor Daily News