HONOLULU, HAWAII – The three undergraduate student candidates running for president of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa’s undergraduate student government, the Associated Students of University of Hawaii Manoa, will meet in a public debate tomorrow, Tuesday, Apr. 7, at the Campus Center Public Forum in front of University of Hawaii Manoa’s Campus Center. The debate will be from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Members of Ka Leo’s editorial staff will moderate the debate between presidential candidates Mark Kaniela Ing, Jon Hite and Bronson “Kaulana” Ah Tou (Ah Tou is tentative).
Topics covered will range from UH system-wide budget cuts to the future of sustainability at UH to improvements for student housing and security. This debate will be the first of its kind in many years.
Each candidate will have one minute and 30 seconds to answer each question. A sound system and lecterns will be provided for the candidates, and a large turnout is expected.
The Campus Center Public Forum last gained media attention when an anti-homosexual mainland church group rallied there in early March.
Campaigning for this election period started last week Monday and has been relatively high-profile compared to previous years, particularly between Mark Kaniela Ing and current vice president Jon Hite.
Between the hard campaigning and pro-democracy, post-Obama election feelings, this may prove to be the year in which more than the traditional 10 percent of undergraduate students participate in student elections, especially amidst huge public budget cuts in the educational system.
Elections officially begin for students on Tuesday, Apr. 7, via their online MyUHPortal accounts. The event is sponsored by ASUH.
