The Student Government Association (SGA) held their Executive Debate for candidates seeking the chief justice, vice president and president positions on Wednesday, March 20 in the Kiva Theatre.
Moderated by SGA Election Board Chairman Hunter Robinson, candidates focused on topical campus issues including parking, smoking on campus and student involvement. Candidates were given questions beforehand and asked to answer each within two minutes.
Presidential candidates Gregory Crovetto, a junior communication major, and Kayla Turner, a senior biological science major, were each asked a question from an audience member. Closing remarks were then stated.
On the issue of SGA’s role as a middleman and the lack of communication between SGA and students, with only 1,003 students voting for candidates in the last SGA General Election while enrollment numbers sat at 15,414, Turner said the current administration could have been more proactive.
“It is our job to clearly voice the students’ wants, needs and opinions to the administration and to voice the administration’s answers to the students in a way that they will understand,” said Turner. “I wouldn’t say that they’ve failed, but I think that they could’ve done more. I think that we always could do more to reach out to the students and let them know we are here, we want you to tell us something, and we want you to give us things to go to the administration with.”
Crovetto agreed that the failure to get students more involved was not SGA’s fault and that the university has historically been a commuter school, making for a less involved student body.
“I don’t think it is [SGA’s] fault at all,” said Crovetto. “I think we keep talking about it just because that’s the way it’s always been. Southeastern’s never been that place where everybody shows up to everything, everybody goes to every football game, and everybody takes so much pride in it. It’s a commuter school, and I definitely understand that a high percentage of people are commuters.”
The subject of smoking on campus was brought up during the debate, a topic SGA President Branden Summers, who has formally endorsed Crovetto, says should be off the table for now because the issue cannot be immediately addressed. This, however, did not keep presidential candidates from stating their positions on the matter.
While Turner fully supported the concept of a tobacco-free campus, she stressed the importance of enforcing the current smoking policy before creating new policies, saying “Until we can find ways to clearly enforce the rules that we already have in place, we should not be trying to take any steps to move forward.”
Crovetto to some extent conceded with Turner on enforcing current policy but explained his opposition for a smoke-free campus, pointing to other universities where the policy has failed.
“I don’t know if I am 100 percent correct, but I went to Nicholls State University. I’m pretty sure they became 100 percent smoke free, and there is just as many people smoking there, because they can’t figure out a way to enforce it,” said Crovetto. “We already have rules that we need to try and enforce, and I feel like we need to try and do that first before we add more rules.”
Another specific topic being discussed frequently across campus is the closing of the 24-hour Fayard Student Technology Center. Hours were originally adjusted for the lab to close at midnight, but since student outcry, the lab will soon close around 2:00 a.m.
When asked about the alteration, Turner explained her support for the 24-hour lab but said the absence of funds to continue its interminable hours was the central problem.
“I would love it to be a 24- hour lab,” said Turner. “The only problem is that you’d have to find the money to do it. That’s the true reason behind it. The money to keep it open and keep it running and to pay people to be there. It’s a lot, and it’s more than students think that it would be.”
Crovetto thought research should be done before opening the lab for 24 hours, saying “I really think we need to take a survey and figure out how many people actually benefit because if it’s only five, then I wouldn’t really go with it.”
The two presidential candidates also discussed their activities agenda which they plan to implement if elected.  
“Forever I’ve wanted to have a concert on campus, and I’ve heard that maybe it’s a problem with the way the dome [on the University Center] is built, but I definitely want to figure that out and get that in because I feel like students would really respond well to that,” said Crovetto. “Regardless of whether [students] don’t want to commute to campus for SGA, I’m sure they would commute to campus to hear a country music concert or something.”
Turner spoke of activities which would be affordable, considering recent budget cuts, and easily accessible for students who are working around a schedule.
“Crazy just fun things like an open mic afternoon in the green in front of the Katrina-Rita fountain or give everybody some chalk and go write on the sidewalks and see who has the best design,” said Turner. “Just something simple that doesn’t cost a lot of money that doesn’t take a lot of time that everybody can enjoy and just have fun with.”
During closing remarks, Turner and Crovetto displayed opposing visions of Southeastern.
Turner explained what she finds to be an identity crisis within the university. Crovetto quickly refuted the claim debating the differences between the university and other Louisiana universities.
Students can vote for SGA candidates in the Student Union or online through Wednesday, March 27 at 4 p.m.