It should read "whom" not "who" - I think.

Rule of thumb is whom=him and who=he. As in "I want him to be president".

Well considering I am not a part of the campaigns, I just attended the debate, I don't have a say in what they promote. As for the scholarship idea, we tried it. We tried it with Coca-Cola (the University's drink sponsor), Budweiser (who sponsor's the basketball team), and IBM (which has a former officer on the BOV). Even with the scholarship idea, the fact is the tuition costs are going to keep going up unless two things happen- 1) The state of Virginia starts providing this University with the funding it deserves (we are so low on the list compared to our size and what we bring to the state in regards to money) instead of shafting us, and 2) Merten and the BOV actually comes up with a financial plan that makes sense- We have a $628 million dollar budget this year, and we spend ALL of it. When you only have a $50 million Endowment because only 5% of our Alumni give back to the University, you need to start setting some of that money aside to cover future budget crises and cuts in the State.

We could have avoided this 10 years ago, but we kept spending money. We need to have an SG that not only makes their voice heard, but also represents the very student body it says it represents. Last year we were got 2,780 students to vote...the most in Mason's history. That is out of 22,000 eligible students. A lot of this disconnect is because of campaigns that promise and promise and promise, and then can't deliver. That is what I liked about Ijeoma and Chris's campaign, they are promising to deliver on what they have already been doing for a almost a year plus, and finish what other President's started. That is the leadership and course the SG needs.

As for the Google system, it does sound great, it really does. But when the BOV has a Microsoft official on the BOV, and that member has threatened to block ANY change to the e-mail system that threatens the companies interest, what can the SG do? What can they promise her that Microsoft can't up the ante on? I like the idea, but I think it needs more clarity, and more realism to it. As for the poster that said Shelnutt is not endorsing his own VP, there is a reason for that- the SG rules does not allow him to make endorsements. He is listed as "staff" on Nicole's campaign, but that is because he is a friend of Nicole's. However, Shelnutt has been helping ALL of the campaigns, and has not endorsed any of them, because he is friends with ALL of them. There is a big difference between being listed as "staff" and as a "supporter."

For example, take tuition. No, the SGA can't lower the tuition but they can certainly go to the many large corporations in the NOVA area and ask if a scholarship can be established. Exxon-Mobil, for instance, has a major branch right up the road (which in fact used to be Mobil's world headquarters before the merger) - how hard would it be for the SGA president to try and make a case for a scholarship for Mason students? The worst that happens is they say no.

Even if companies balked, they would see that Mason take the initiative and think big - which would help for future hires.

Also, google is trying to promote their University email system - at least Nicole and Ravi are trying to get it here rather than say "it can't be done".

First off, since I used to be in the SG for three years, that debate was a disgrace. The way the SEC set-up the rules before-hand, anyone and their mother could have seen the second part coming. When the criss-cross questions started, and continued the way they did, all I could think was "there goes all the work all of us have put in for the last few years to improve the SG, Aseel's impeachment aside (which was only a drama because that is the way the Broadside covered it)."

For me, Zack and Claire didn't wow me at all. They just disappeared as the debate went on, and their ideas are out there. They mentioned bringing in national chains on campus, but the problem is that would be a "face-lift" on the food. For example, what you have in the Burger King right now, is NOT Burger King's food. It is Sodexho's food, under Burger King's logo. The same thing with happen with Quizno's, Chiptole, etc. As well, we tried to get Chipotle on campus when I was in the SG, and they don't want any part of Mason. To really change the food, it would require convincing the BOV that the lowest bidder- Sodexho- is not the best choice. As well, their other ideas exhibit a lack of knowledge of how the SG and the University works, which is sad.

Ijeoma and Chris have a unique idea, that at first didn't seem like a great idea to me- a Vision. When you are already working on changing things within the SG and the University, why do you run on empty promises like the other candidates? You run on what you can do, not what you WISH you can do. Nicole and Ravi can't change Mason's e-mail system or fix the tuition increases (that is a state issue, dependent upon the State of Virginia budget), Anna and Katie can't bring a better cooperation amongst the SG and the Administration, nor can they fix Financial Aid (Financial Aid is a FEDERAL issue, not University).

Alex and Christine can't bring all the other organizations under the SG, because the University took that away from us in 1998 for a reason- we couldn't keep track of a budget like the one Program Board and Student Funding Board tracks- and their ideas for Parking were shut down by the Parking Services director a year and a half ago due to costs that would require a Student Fee increase of $400 per student.

Out of that debate, Ijeoma asked the right questions towards Christine about her credibility- if you quit when you were assigned to do a job, what makes any of us believe you can do the job NOW that you are running for VP, especially because one of your main platform ideas is the "Big Event," which you were ASSIGNED to do? Chris showed class and commitment when he was crudely blind-sided by Anna with a remark that was out of line, and false. If I had my way, Ijeoma and Chris would be the President and VP, and Zack and Claire would be Speaker and Speaker Pro-Tempore of the Senate, because that is a foursome that would work with dignity and class. But because this isn't a perfect world, I am going with the team that has class, experience, and the right ideas- Ijeoma and Chris.

I attended the debate yesterday, and every single candidate, to the exception of Zack and Claire, asked petty & personal questions and spent their time flinging personal insults.

Zack and Claire were the only candidates who talked about issues students cared about without acting like drama filled sg people that we saw when last year during the impeachment scandal.

It seems to me that if 5 out of the 6 candidates win, student government will continue to do nothing but complain internally and worry about their own drama.

I hope Zack and Claire can win so our SG can actually do something for students.

but when she insinuated another campaign was responsible for "the highest rape rate in Virginia" (I've been looking and looking on the web for confirmation of that) she totally lost my support.