The Government of the Student Body presidential and vice presidential candidates formally debated at for the second and final time Monday night.

Although the two slates share some of the same goals, improvement of Campustown was heavily disputed.

GSB Speaker of the Senate and presidential candidate Jon Turk, junior in political science, said that at some point in his or her ISU experience, every student is going to either visit Campustown or be affected by it indirectly. Therefore, the Turk-Peterson slate believes it would be beneficial to “clean up Campustown so that it is not just fast food and bars,” Turk said.

Presidential candidate Jason Boggess, senior in mechanical engineering, said he and his running mate Derek Haskin, junior in pre-business, believe Campustown is not a “good use of executive time.”

“Campustown is represented by the students but controlled by the city of Ames, so that’s kind of in their hands,” Boggess said.

Both Turk and Boggess communicated readiness to lead the university.

“As president, my door will always be open,” Turk said. “I won’t be secluded in the West Student Office Space, I’ll be ready to communicate with students and listen to their ideas.”

Boggess said he would work to ensure that senators and the executive slate are working hand-in-hand. He said he would also work to target events to off-campus students.

In response, Turk said he met with Tom Hill, vice president for student affairs, last week and decided to have a group for off-campus students to ensure that they are still getting the full university experience. He said Hill has committed to funding the organization.

Turk also said it is important to encourage students to live on campus, as students who live in the greek community or in the residence halls consistently have higher grade-point averages than those who live off campus.

When asked what ways they would utilize technology to promote communication between GSB and the student body, Turk said he wanted to make the GSB Web site more user friendly. He said he would like to have a YouTube video explaining how to fill out forms, which will make it easier for students to understand.

Haskin said he didn’t feel the Turk-Peterson YouTube idea was feasible. He said he believes face-to-face communication should be the top priority.

In response, Turk said the question posed by the moderator was specifically about technology, which is why he presented the YouTube idea.

“I don’t see how having a YouTube video could hurt anything,” Turk said. “This is by no means a substitute for word of mouth or face-to-face communication.”

Haskin then retracted his previous comment made and said he believes a user-friendly Web site will be beneficial to students.

An audience member questioned Boggess’s plans for funding more scholarships. Boggess had previously said as president, he would work to ensure more students who aren’t involved with athletics would receive scholarships.

“We can’t take money from the Big 12,” he said. “We want to free up GSB money for scholarships.”

Turk said “freeing up” GSB money isn’t feasible.

“Student fee money is not the proper avenue to take to increase scholarships,” he said.

Asked whom they admired and what their leadership strengths were, Boggess said he admires Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, because he came from a place where he had nothing and accomplished great things.

Turk said he stands by a quote previously mentioned in the debate by his running mate, Campustown senator Chandra Peterson, junior in political science, saying you can’t lead a group of people if you don’t know who they are. He said he is engaged in student opinion and enjoys getting to know students.

He said he admired Kennedy for appointing a cabinet that had a variety of different viewpoints. He said Kennedy’s approach will be similar to his, including “as many diverse, experienced students there to help me make decisions as possible.”

In closing remarks, Boggess apologized for not being active in the debate due to illness. Boggess said he was particularly touched by a girl who told him she wanted to run as a senator for GSB next year. She said she was inspired by him when he was collecting signatures to be placed on the ballot.

“If I can inspire one person by collecting signatures, think of how many I can inspire as president,” he said.

Peterson said she and Turk aren’t wasting any time — they’ve already starting meeting with student organizations to hear their concerns and ideas.

“We have the experience, we know how these student organizations work,” Turk said.

Approximately 30 students attended the debate Monday night. About 10 people wore Turk-Peterson campaign buttons, while the others appeared neutral. Many of the attendees know which team they will support, but some students are not convinced of which team is better prepared to lead GSB.

Connor Nolan, senior in biology, said he believes Turk-Peterson won the debate and they can count on his vote.

“They showed they’re more experienced and they can relate to the entire student body with their diverse background,” he said.

William Marshall, sophomore in agricultural engineering, said he believes Haskin-Boggess won the debate.

“I live on campus and I like people that live on campus and know the issues we’re dealing with,” he said.

Marshall said he believes the Turk-Peterson approach to improving Campustown is only a good idea in theory.

“That money can be used for other things like scholarships,” he said.

Alden Peterson, senior in mechanical engineering, said it would be difficult for him to decide.

“Both campaigns are very active on campus,” he said. “Turk-Peterson have the experience and a very diverse campaign and Boggess-Haskin have experience working in the residence halls.”