The two candidates for the Tufts Community Union (TCU) presidency went head to head in a debate last night, tying up the loose ends of their campaign before today's election.
TCU president hopefuls junior Joe Mead and sophomore Dave Baumwoll voiced their opinions regarding numerous issues before a relatively empty Cabot Auditorium.
Campaign teams for both candidates had been working steadily despite rain and heat for the past few weeks, competing for public space to chalk and poster on campus.
The candidates actually agreed with each other on most of the issues they see to be problems facing the student body, a fact reflected in their similar platforms.
Both candidates agreed that Tufts should bring ESPN to the campus cable package, eliminate "nickel-and-diming" such as the pay-for-printing policy, increase Senate outreach to the student body, and retain a diverse faculty.
While both candidates would seek to bring ESPN to Tufts, they have different opinions on how to deal with the network's expensive price.
Mead saw the issue as too important to worry about the cost. "I don't believe you can put a price on a student priority," he said.
Baumwoll, on the other hand, believed the price was a major issue to consider. "We should research other cable companies offering similar things," he said.
The only issues on which Mead and Baumwoll openly disagreed were the possible addition of work-out facilities in downhill dorms and on where Culture, Ethnicity and Community Affairs committee meetings should take place.
While Mead supports installing hotel-style gyms in downhill dorms, Baumwoll strongly disagreed.
"We don't have the space, and we don't have the money. It should not be a priority," Baumwoll said.
Although each candidate's platform is fairly similar, their priorities are slightly different.
The issue of off-campus housing ranked highly on Baumwoll's agenda. He plans to work with administrators to create a database that includes available houses and landlords.
Baumwoll said that if elected, he would keep the Culture Festival as a recurring event. "It was time to stop talking about our great diversity and start acting on it," he said.
Baumwoll also made it clear that he intends to better the fraternity image on campus. "The Greek system contributes so many things to the community, yet the student body doesn't know about them," he said.
The key issues of Mead's opening statements focused on the housing lottery process and accessibility to administrators.
Mead said that if elected, he would push for the tiered lottery system, but his main concern is that "there needs to be more stability in the Office of Residential Life."
"My overall goal is to make Tufts an easier place to live and an easier place to adjust to," Mead said.
"The position of president requires vision, getting results, and leadership experience," Baumwoll said.
