The candidates for Graduate and Professional Student Association president will face off in two debates today.
The first debate is at noon in the SUB. UNM's Public Interest Research Group will host the second debate at 5 p.m. at El Centro de la Raza in Mesa Vista Hall.
Lee Drake and Lissa Knudsen are running for the GPSA presidential office that will open in May. GPSA will send online links through e-mail for students to vote from April 6-9.
The candidates said they were grateful to have an opportunity to tell people about the issues that matter to them.
"I have been meeting with student groups and using the media to get the word out," Knudsen said.
Knudsen serves as GPSA council chairwoman and said she has been involved with the organization since May 2006. She said GPSA needs to have a bigger say in campus policy.
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"I was (first) interested in the GPSA because I wanted to have my voice heard and make changes on campus," Knudsen said. "The time (now) is right, in regard to making changes on campus. Specifically, changes with shared governance and decision making, from the Board of Regents to student organizations."
She said she wants to create a network that connects graduate students with careers so that they can find employment upon graduation.
Knudsen would also like to improve shared governance at UNM. She said she plans to do this by making all GPSA meetings as public as possible, by webcasting the meetings and having time for public comments before each meeting.
"The GPSA has made decisions that are not as efficient as they could have been fiscally," she said. "It is time to make wiser decisions as to how we spend our money."
Drake said he is running his campaign differently.
"I am campaigning individual by individual, voter by voter," he said.
Drake, president of College Democrats, has served in GPSA this academic year as the anthropology representative.
He said this election is especially important to him because he sees many opportunities for students to organize on campus, and he would like to engage students in the process of student government.
"We need to start organizing and coming together," Drake said.
Drake said he would like to create a joint undergraduate and graduate student policy council to collaborate on shared goals.
"ASUNM is like the Senate, and the GPSA is like the House of Representatives - both parties need to work together. Otherwise students can be pulled in two different directions," he said.
Drake said he wants to set up service internships for students to create a student presence within the state and provide them with lobbying experience. These internships would be available for all UNM students.
Drake also wants to bring better organizational capabilities to graduate students.
"I would like to find the best way to organize students," he said. "Not just serve them, but engage them in the process of student government."
Sean DeBuck, UNMPIRG president, said the organization decided to sponsor the debate because students ought to get involved in elections.
"Now is a more important time than ever for the student voice to be heard," he said.
DeBuck said today's debate will be a forum with time for audience questions for the candidates.
"Students should go so they can get an idea of what the elected student government is going to stand for, so we can be assured we get a representative that will be thoroughly engaged and represent student interests," DeBuck said.
PIRG members would like this event to increase voter turnout, DeBuck said.
"Often, very few people vote," he said. "Hopefully, with events like this, we can change those numbers and we can begin to get a real, full-functioning student government."
GPSA debates
Today, Noon-2 p.m.
SUB Santa Ana rooms A and B
5 p.m.-7 p.m.
El Centro de la Raza
