Questions asking Government of the Student Body presidential candidates why they chose to run for office and how they found their running mates opened the debates that took place in the Maintenance Shop of the Memorial Union on Monday night.

Chandra Peterson, the current vice president of GSB, said she wanted to run so she could continue on goals she has already started.

“It’s hard to get all of the things I’ve started done in one year; this administration has laid a lot of groundwork for people to build off,” Peterson said.

Peterson said she and her running mate, Jacob Wilson, sort of found each other.

“We were both looking at running for something — we shared a lot of the same goals — if we had the option we would be co-presidents,” Peterson said.

Luke Roling said running for GSB president was a dream of his since freshman year.

“We were two freshmen that, at the end of the year, said that the president looked like a pretty cool guy,” Roling said. “After our sophomore year, we knew we weren’t ready to run.”

Roling said after he decided to run, he did look at all his options for vice president, but kept going back to Nate Dobbels.

Roling said he and Dobbels were roommates in their freshman year and work well together.

Each pair was asked to name what made it stand out from the opposing ticket, and what its biggest weakness is.

Peterson said what sets her apart from her opposition was the relationships she has built throughout the community.

She also mentioned her work with Campustown and the city of Ames and founding the Green Umbrella Organization.

Peterson said her biggest weakness was her inability to say no, and she believes herself to be a perfectionist, which she sees as a fault.

Wilson said what makes his campaign stand out is that the platform lists goals he and Peterson have already accomplished.

“We see issues that students care about … and always know where students stand,” Wilson said.

Wilson said his biggest fault is that he needs to focus on more obtainable goals.

“I’m one of those guys who sees a puppy in a shelter and comes home with five,” Wilson said.

Wilson said he needs to focus on what will help the future and not just act off of empathy. Roling said he and Dobbels are extremely well-rounded people.

“We have developed people skills and interacted with a large population of students,” Roling said. “Don’t take this as Nate and I have done nothing in the past — we’ve done plenty of things with Engineering Council that students probably don’t care about.”

Roling said his biggest weaknesses were he has an analytical mind, being an engineer, and a lack of creativity.

Roling said he can fix those things by surrounding himself with the right cabinet.

Dobbels said what sets him apart is that he believes, “It’s not what you have done, it’s how you make people feel.”

Dobbels said his biggest weakness was he can’t say no to anyone and can get overwhelmed, but that can bring about big accomplishments.

Another question was brought up about how the teams planned to revitalize Campustown.

The Roling-Dobbels ticket said it would like to see a grocery store brought in, and Peterson-Wilson mentioned it has been supporting the CyRide Intermodal Facility, which would bring in more parking and hopefully attract more businesses.

Student debt was also addressed, to which both parties stressed the importance of lobbying and working with the administration.

The next debate will be at 8 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Oak Room in the Memorial Union.

Students are urged to come with questions.