Student Government presidential candidates to debate

Top: Chris Jorgensen/Iowa State Daily Bottom left: Courtesy of Kelsey Culbertson Bottom right: Courtesy of Austin Graber

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Madelyn Ostendorf

Presidential candidates for Student Government will compete Tuesday in the final debate of the Student Government election season.

Austin Graber, Cody Woodruff and Benjamin Whittington will debate each other at 7 p.m. in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union.

Debate topics will include student wellness, campus climate and safety, tuition and education affordability, trademark and diversity as well as the role of the Student Government president.

Sen. Austin Graber is a senior in business economics and currently serves as an Ivy College of Business Senator for Student Government. He is also a community adviser and a Cyclone Aide.

Graber’s campaign is “Elevate. Educate. Connect.” A few of the campaign’s topics include: student wellness, by reinstating the Sexual Assault Awareness cabinet position and advocating for sexual assault and prevention with Green Dot and bringing a lecture series to the Memorial Union, as well as promoting community and diversity by highlighting the Tree of Oppression and expanding Destination Iowa State.

Speaker Cody Woodruff, a senior in political science, currently serves in Student Government as the speaker of the Senate as well as a United Residents Off Campus (UROC) senator.

Woodruff’s campaign, called “I Stand for U,” includes platforms on diversity—by creating a diverse Senate that more represents the profile of Iowa State—and opportunities for student by advocating for a higher on-campus minimum wage and establishing a campus involvement adviser to aid students in finding an organization that fits their interests.

Benjamin Whittington, a junior in political science, is the vice president of Politics at ISU and serves as vice chair of the Residency Committee.

Whittington’s campaign, “Bridging the Divide,” includes points focusing on transparency within Student Government and student wellness, by improving parking availability on campus as well as advocating for a “student friendly hazardous weather policy.”

The debate can be watched via livestream on the Daily’s Facebook page.