Voice Archives
Georgetown University Student Association President Calen Angert (MSB ’11) and Vice President Jason Kluger (MSB ’11) announced their intention to run for reelection last Sunday. Incumbents running for reelection is unprecedented in recent GUSA history, according to GUSA Parliamentarian Sam Ungar (COL ’12).
“There is apparently no evidence that any president has run again since at least 2003, and none have won re-election since at least 2000,” Ungar said.
The unprecedented reelection campaign is already creating confusion about how to distinguish fulfilling their current responsibilities from improper early campaigning.
Some have criticized an event that took place last Friday afternoon in Red Square, in which Angert and Kluger distributed free pizza and cupcakes in exchange for student feedback. Some saw the event as an improper use of GUSA funds for campaigning purposes.
“It seemed like they dipped into the GUSA slush fund to buy student votes,” Johnny Solis (SFS ’11), a former GUSA senator, said. “What they really wanted was ideas for the campaign platform.”
Election Commissioner Adam Giansiracusa (SFS ’12) said the Election Commission will only respond to formal complaints.
Angert and Kluger maintain that their event on Friday was strictly for the purpose of improving their communication with students and that they had not decided to run for reelection at the time. They announced their candidacy on Sunday.
“We’re here for another month,” Angert said, “We’re not going to stop doing our job.”
Angert and Kluger said they are satisfied with their achievements so far—like creating a subsidized LSAT class and restructuring event e-mails sent to the student body. However, a number of significant projects have not been fully implemented—such as permitting volunteer students to drive SafeRides vans, providing free daily newspapers, and operating a “GUSA Fund” to distribute money to students and student groups seeking funding for events.
“It seems like they’ve got big ideas, but they’re not very well organized,” Solis said. “They’re more interested in their own careers.”
Angert and Kluger said that they would develop more specific goals for the next year as they draw near to the official start of campaigning on February 9, but anticipate focusing on student safety, campus life, and student space.
…So the only criticism of them has been leveled from one person, a guy who was on the losing campaign last year? Kinda shoddy journalism, in that it suggests the criticism is widespread.
I definitely think it is in the best interest for The Voice to offer a retraction or a new story altogether, as basing their official view on the ideas of ONE former Senator with his own agenda is not journalism at all, just a petty excuse for it.
As for the comments that their initiatives have not been fully implemented, well, if you had attended their Red Square tabling efforts, you would have discovered that SafeRides and the Collegiate Readership Program will start up this week, and that the GUSA Fund has already had their first meeting.
To whoever wrote this, thanks for the opinion piece.
Did anybody ask Johnny Solis if he is planning to run? Ever wonder if he has other motives?
Add in CD’s comments and you either have some serious bias in this story or just bad reporting. I hope the Voice is willing to look further into the matter and issue a correction if CD’s comments are the case.
Relying on the feedback of one “critic” seems pretty biased, if you ask me. If the Voice is going to offer one person’s statements as being a campus-wide opinion, they should at least solicit more feedback…
Plus, I thought I heard that Solis was considering running against Calen and Jason…