Kathuria-Koneru, Glasscock-Mortazavi present platforms during OU SGA presidential forum

OU Student Government Association held a debate for its president and vice president candidates in the Oklahoma Memorial Union on Monday.

On one side of the ballot, community health junior Shrey Kathuria is running for president alongside public relations junior Aniketh Koneru for vice president.  

The other ticket is business management junior Caden Glasscock for president and his running mate, business healthcare senior Cyrus Mortazavi, for vice president.  

The debate moderators were SGA Election Commissioner Seth Phung, current SGA Vice President Emelie Schultz, current SGA President Christopher Firch and SGA Undergraduate Student Congress Chair Abby Halsey-Kraus.

Students can vote for SGA president and vice president using ENGAGE from Oct. 31 through Nov. 1.

Presidential debate

Kathuria started his opening statement by explaining why he wants to be SGA president, saying he wants OU to be the best university in the world.

"The moment I stepped on this campus, I knew that I had an urge and passion to make change," Kathuria said. 

Kathuria explained his campaign platform, W.I.N, an acronym that stands for welcoming community, igniting change and notifying you.

Diversity, equality, and inclusion are essential to Kathuria and Koneru’s campaign, Kathuria said. 

Glasscock said his running platform is called BLOOM: bridging the gap, leading us into the SEC, optimizing student resources, our traditions and making your voice heard. 

Through this platform, Glasscock said he will ensure he and Mortazavi represent an assortment of diverse needs and interests as his platform allows students to know what is happening in the SGA and behind the scenes on campus. 

While OU transitions to the SEC, Glasscock said SGA must prepare organizations and increase morale and student involvement on campus.

"We will work diligently with organizations on campus to give more opportunities for students as well as properly publish the events (we) are hosting on campus," Glasscock said.  

Halsey-Kraus asked the candidates what they consider the most pressing issue impacting OU students today.

Kathuria said after asking students about their concerns, many said the most pressing issue impacting them at OU was parking. 

"We've had students going through multiple parking lots and they have not been able to find a spot," Kathuria said.

Kathuria said he and Koneru already met with OU Parking and Transportation Services Director Kris Glenn and proposed increasing the number of hybrid spots for faculty and commuter students.

According to Glasscock, the most pressing issue for students is the lack of transparency about what is happening on campus. 

"A big thing is that some (registered student organizations) don't know who is funding them, so we want to make sure they know who is funding them, and when we go to the SEC, we need to be very prepared. Due to the lack of transparency, I do not think we are that prepared," Glasscock said.

Glasscock said he also wants students to feel they can have their concerns heard and seen by SGA. As president, Glasscock said he will put effort into reaching out to student organizations. He and Mortazavi find it necessary going forward that student voices are brought into all decisions leading up to the SEC. 

"We want to make sure that we're most importantly making your voice heard. Your voice is the core of this," Glasscock said. 

Kathuria said that OU is a big campus, everyone comes from different backgrounds and no person is the same.

"Vote for who you believe is the most passionate. Vote for the one who you believe has that drive to make that change. Vote for the one who you believe will win for OU students. Vote for the person who you think can lead us to the SEC. Vote for the person who you can trust. Vote for the person who you know you can rely on, especially when the going gets tough," Kathuria said. 

Vice president debate

Mortazavi said leading students to the Southeastern Conference is a priority to him and Glasscock. He said people tend to think about the move to the conference in regard to sports, rather than in academic progression. 

"The biggest way to adapt to the SEC is to learn from the SEC. Caden and I are wanting to host regular meetings with student-faculty leaders from other SEC schools and it would allow us to be ahead of the game," Mortazavi said.

Koneru said in his opening statement he was at first unsure about running alongside Kathuria, as he thought of himself as someone shy and who kept to themself. But then, he thought about what being vice president could mean.

"I thought about what the vice president position entails, and it's about doing the work for the students," Koneru said. 

The candidates for vice president were first asked by Phung about how they plan to enhance the Crimson Leadership Association. 

Mortazavi said the CLA is doing a great job and after attending a meeting to discuss SGA’s relationship with the group, he immediately felt loved and encouraged by its members.

Koneru said he would like more multicultural representatives to speak to CLA given how many of its members are connected to the SGA. 

This story was edited by Alexia Aston, Taylor Jones and Peggy Dodd. Grace Rhodes and Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.