Candidates grill it up in debut

By: Andrew Herndon

Posted: 3/20/08

Hamburgers and hot dogs sizzled on the grills next to the Associated Students House on Wednesday as potential Associated Students office-holders chatted with students and running mates in the first pre-election event of the season.

A.S. presidential hopeful Ann Grabowski, a senior majoring in behavioral science and sociology, said she is hoping to end political apathy on campus if she is elected.

"A lot of our students don't even know that they're cutting money into the CSU to the tune of $386 million," Grabowski, 21, said. "I want to utilize the resources that we have within Associated Students to let students know, not only about fee increases and budget cuts, but about things that are going on on campus - initiatives that are happening here."

Fee concerns are also a priority for another candidate running for A.S. office.

Irene Baba, a sophomore corporate financial management major, is running for controller, or essentially the treasurer of the student government who manages and allocates the A.S. budget.

"I would try and get students to have more of a say in where their money is being spent," Baba, 19, said.

Director of communications candidate Azra Crnogorcevic said she is hoping to unite students and the student government if she is elected.

"I want to be able to mend that gap between people living on campus and off campus," Crnogorcevic, 18, said. "I would really like to mend that big hole and make everybody involved."

Crnogorcevic, a freshman public relations major, wants to inform students of the events happening in the campus community.

"I want to make it so that we have weekly newsletters, monthly newsletters, about the events going on," she said. "Not just in A.S., but in all the different clubs and activities on campus."

Students lined up as far as the north side of the Fourth Street garage to partake in the free barbecue, but some were not aware that potential A.S. candidates were present.

"I didn't know what it was for," said Mark Lauricella, a junior kinesiology major.

Lauricella, 22, said he came to the barbecue for the live music playing on a stage near the A.S. House.

Another student said he attended the barbecue for the free food.

"I just saw the signs and came through," said Phinora Diep, a 19-year-old sophomore zoology major. "(I) heard it was free."

Eileen Chong, a senior psychology major, saw the afternoon's event listed in the Student Union.

"I heard about it through the calendar in the Student Union and also the banner that they put out here," Chong, 26, said.