Presidential candidates debate who would best lead SGA
Debates of any nature and significance fall under a heavy weight of scrutiny, and this past week’s SGA debate was no exception to the trend.
The Student Commons drew a crowd on Thursday, March 12th, as members of Student Government Association and interested students gathered to observe three promising candidates hash their ideas in real-time and answer questions directly from the student-body.
The debate was preceded by a brief interview with 2020-2021 prospective Treasurer, Benjamin Arceo Bennett.
Bennett is a freshman at CLC and is currently pursuing an Associate of Arts Degree.
Questioned by Rhiannon Graham, SGA Vice President and moderator of the debate, Bennett spoke on his ideas for the future financial and budget management for the club.
“I want there to be more transparency,” Bennett said.
He plans to regularly meet with other club representatives on campus in order to keep track of how each individual group is operating and to accurately respond to their needs.
Beside increasing club collaboration, Bennett also shows great enthusiasm for various fundraising methods, but has a particular focus on raffles.
“Raffles not only benefit the student body as they win prizes, but also benefits Student Government as we raise money,” he explained.
Following a brief break, the three presidential candidates filed in and took their seats.
Dressed in professional attire and enthusiastically prepared for the event that could either make or break their campaigns, Le’Andres Callahan, Marilyn Lambert, and Leila Manthi faced the crowd of students and faculty.
Diving into opening remarks, each candidate spoke on why they are running to be the next president of the Student Government Association.
Remarks began with Manthi, a freshman currently in her second semester at CLC, planning to major in social work.
Manhi spoke on how she plans to give a voice to the voiceless, stressing her goals to focus on the minority students and those who typically get forgotten about, including students who attend the Lakeshore and Southlake campuses.
Callahan followed, a prospective psychology major currently in his fourth semester.
“CLC, to me, has become my second home,” said Callahan.
He spoke on his love for the college as a whole, his passion for being a Lancer, and his hopes to pass this enthusiasm onto the student body by providing accurate representation and encouraging club participation.
Lambert closed the opening remarks.
Lambert is a freshman in her second semester as a Lancer, and she is following a very precise and detailed path; currently on a pre-med track, Lambert plans to major in cellular biology and also obtain a minor in psychology and a masters in spanish.
She hopes to eventually become a Pediatrics doctor.
Lambert holds similar views to Manhi, speaking on how she also plans to increase representation for the other CLC campuses.
Coming from a military family, Lambert has lived in many places and shows enthusiasm for students of all backgrounds, hoping to bring a voice to every ‘somebody’ who also takes the role of a Lancer.
Moving onto the next question, candidates explained why they would like to be president, providing more insight into their goals for the college.
With each year comes a different president with different ideas, and it is important for the students to know what initiatives and ideas will be pursued.
Callahan continues to stress that he wants CLC to not only be a place where students show up, go to class, and go home; he wants to increase club involvement in order to benefit students personally in terms of work and social ethics.
“When I first got here, I couldn’t sit on this panel—being in a leadership position helped me a lot,” he said, hoping to provide the same experience for others.
Lambert pointed out that there are many things that aren’t being done on campus, and she wants to change that.
She not only wants to strengthen clubs and programs already in place, but search for anything and everything that isn’t running properly and fix it.
“If it means something to somebody, then it means something to me,” Lambert declared.
Manthi elaborated on her opening remarks, honing in on those who frequently fall into a forgotten group.
“What about the single mother of five who comes here, takes eight hours of classes, works forty hours a week, and has to care for her children? Who speaks for her?” she asked. “Who’s speaking up for the students at Lakeshore—the forgotten campus—who’s speaking up for the black students, the latinx students, the undocumented students, and letting them know that what’s being done to them isn’t OK?”
Graham moderated the debate efficiently, showing no favoritism and making sure each candidate adhered to the sixty second time frame they were given for each answer.
Questions following included three traits Callahan, Lambert, and Manthi believed they possessed to make them a qualified candidate for the position of president, what responsibilities they have that will help them with presidential duties, and focusing on the diverse platforms they plan to represent.
Rebuttals made an appearance about halfway through the debate, with candidates questioning each other about their priorities.
In a question to Manthi, Lambert asked, “How are you going to be able to balance Black Student Union and all the other clubs you are a part of combined with Student Government?” she justified, “Because I’m sure there will be a day where both clubs have events.”
Manthi wasted no time in answering, stressing strategic techniques she uses to manage her time. “I have a planner and I put everything in my calendar to ensure there are no conflicts. If there ever is one and the event is still in the planning phase, I let each organization know; as president, I would ensure that we never have an event on the same day as BSU.”
She reiterated that SGA and BSU are, and will be, her top priorities.
Callahan joined the rebuttals, asking Lambert to elaborate on what she, as an individual, has done for the association.
Lambert spoke about her commitment to the club she has already proved as a senator, pointing out that she was responsible for raising five hundred dollars individually for SGA events, her help in orchestrating the Painting with a Potential Presidential Candidate event, and her dedication and extensive amounts of personal time sacrificed in order to support the organization’s bake sales.
“I have done anything and everything I can do for Student Government,” she said. “I have done every single event and worked closely with all my officers to make sure that I know how to be an officer to the best of my capabilities.”
Things turned heated following Graham’s question--of what the hardest obstacle was going to be for each candidate, as rebuttals veered off topic.
“It [the arguments] was bad for the debate as it distracts from the overall goal of what it should be—they should be talking about what’s going to help us, the students, the most,” freshman Jacob Porwisz, a political science major and a contributor to Lambert’s campaign, commented afterwards. “Regardless of how you feel towards someone, it should be about what they’re going to do for us,” he said.
Lambert questioned Manthi’s focus on minority students, expressing concern about the student body as a whole.
“It shouldn’t be just about those groups, it should be about everybody,” Lambert said. “Everyone is a somebody and I don’t see why it is so important to keep bringing color back into things,” she added.
“It’s questions like those that are why we need to give more attention to these groups,” Manthi argued. “Regardless of how big or how small they are, they are just as important as the majority. They are just as important as the people who talk the loudest, who scream the loudest—they are just as important.”
Graham quickly stepped in after this, asking both the audience and the candidates to cease talking as tensions rose.
The debate went on, addressing a few various issues before answering questions from the student body and eventually moving into closing statements.
Each candidate provided a final explanation for why, as individuals, they will be the best choice for next year’s president.
Manthi backtracked to her concern of other CLC campuses, particularly Southlake, and their lack of resources such as financial aid, tutoring, and food service.
“I’m sorry, but if you’re a college campus, these are the bare minimum things you need,” Manthi said passionately.
In Callahan’s closing statement, he circled back to how he not only wants to bring more representation to minorities as well as the other CLC campuses, but also made sure to acknowledge the disadvantage nighttime students face in comparison to daytime students who have access to a plethora of resources.
Following the debate, Callahan reflected on key turning points. “The reaction of the crowd was concerning,” he said, referencing the heated rebuttals.
Lambert recovered from the tension quickly, finishing strong as she stressed her focus on SGA as her one and only priority.
Although Lambert handles a heavy course load and an outside job at Home Depot, she is confident that she will be able to put the most time into the association
Voting will continue through Thursday, March 19th. For more information on how to cast your vote, contact the Student Activities office.
Faces of the debate (left to right): Rhiannon Graham, SGA Vice President and Moderator, and candidates: Leila Manthi, Le’Andres Callahan, and Marilyn Lambert.