News

Meet your candidates

By Matt Quane mquane@mscd.edu

Members of The Metropolitan staff sat down Oct. 14 with Student Government Assembly special election presidential candidates Inayet Hadi and Aaron "Jack" Wylie to discuss their hopes and intentions for the upcoming campaign.

Both Hadi and Wylie said they want to build relationships between the SGA and the Metro student body and fault the current SGA for not doing enough to foster an open environment.

"The biggest thing is to build a relationship with the students," Wylie said. He also said he wants to build community through better methods and any means possible.

"It's unreasonable to expect the students of this school, with their jobs and families, to find out someone's office hours. They (the SGA) need to get out of that office and get the students' attention," Wylie said.

Wylie said that as president he would set weekly times to "go out to a crowded place and set up a booth to talk to the students and ask what their concerns are."

Hadi has other ideas as to how to build relationships.

"We need to create community within the SGA before we begin to create community between the students and the student government," Hadi said.

Hadi said he wants to move the SGA away from being micromanaged by the college administration.

"My whole policy is to have the student government work by itself," Hadi said. "What I am proposing would lead to a community between the students."

Wylie questions the validity of creating community within the SGA due to the large amount of infighting that has been commonplace among Metro student government the past few years.

Wylie said the problems stemmed from polar points of view and his ability to see grey space and create compromise benefits his candidacy.

"It's about trying to put aside ideologies and come to a resolution," Wylie said. He said he supports differences of opinions on the SGA. Wylie considers himself to be a liberal and cites senatorial candidate Dan Head as a conservative he thinks will make a good leader and senator, not because of political affiliation, but intelligence.

"I welcome conflict, as long as it results in progress," Wylie said.

Hadi said he wishes to avoid as much conflict as possible. Especially between the student government and the Metro administration.

"The administration puts up hurdles and excuses that stop student government from doing anything," Hadi said.

Hadi said the idea of the SGA being under the thumb of the administration has to come to an end.

"Do not address us as lapdog lackeys," said Hadi. "We can't be asking people, 'Can you sign off on this?' every time we want to do something. We need to do it ourselves."

Hadi said he wishes the executive branch of the SGA were set up like our federal executive branch, with one president giving orders to his cabinet.

Right now, he said, "There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians," which can account for a lot of the infighting and do-nothingness plaguing the SGA.

In 2002, Hadi served as vice president of student services and student fees under Brotha Seku and said he is proud of the job he did and also of what Seku did.

"(The administration) wanted to expel (Seku) because he wanted to create a sense of community," said Hadi.

Hadi said he admires and respects Seku for upholding the constitution.

"The new constitution needs a person who realizes that the first year is important," Hadi said. "I firmly believe in myself, that what I say, what I do, that when I'm elected I will be able to do the things I have said."

Both candidates agreed that student representation and involvement is what Metro and the SGA need in order to flourish.

"We're all here for the same thing," Wylie said.

"(The administration) wanted to expel (Seku) because he wanted to create a sense of community," said Hadi.

Hadi said he admires and respects Seku for upholding the constitution.

"The new constitution needs a person who realizes that the first year is important," Hadi said. "I firmly believe in myself, that what I say, what I do, that when I'm elected I will be able to do the things I have said."

Both candidates agreed that student representation and involvement is what Metro and the SGA need in order to flourish.

"We're all here for the same thing," Wylie said.