Andrew Bashi, Steve Clark and Jordan Twardy answered questions posed by students, moderator Christine Stover and Oakland University Student Congress Elections Commission chair Joshua Miller.

When asked how OUSC needs improvement, all three candidates agreed that it needs to be a tool to improve campus life.

“We have 18,000 students, 48 major buildings, over 130 student organizations, and zero reason why we can’t have any more events on campus,” said Bashi.

Bashi said he thinks Oakland should offer students big events at least once a month, and if he had his way, it would be once a day.

By making campus more active, it would change the school’s reputation, which is something that Clark thinks is direly needed.

“I want to make Oakland a place that’s not like a JUCO (junior college), where people come for a year then transfer,” Clark said.

Twardy thinks that OUSC should be a hub for student organizations to use resources and network with each other.

“Student orgs should be able to fund an event, plan an event and host an event in the same week,” said Twardy.  “That’s how you increase campus life.”

One of the proposed ways to increase campus life is the establishment of a football team. The candidates were asked if the university was lacking by not having a football team.

Each candidate felt that the university was lacking slightly, but a future football team is certainly not a lost cause.

Getting a football team is a step-by-step process that will take a long time, Clark said.

“In one year, will I be able to get a football team here as student body president? No,” said Clark. He said that OUSC has to get the ball rolling on such a process, which may take many years.

Twardy agreed.

“My campaign is about laying the foundation so that when I’m done, the work will continue,” said Twardy.

Twardy has already conducted a survey about OU getting a football team and said it was the most popular survey that OUSC ever conducted.

For Bashi, a football team is impossible until people are excited about other sports.

“There are great sports teams here that we don’t capitalize on right now,” said Bashi.

 “We need to start getting people excited in the stuff we have now before we start investing millions,” he added.

Speaking of millions, the candidates were also asked about the $4.8 million deferred payment the university received from the state and is holding on to.

“Something needs to be done and I don’t mean buying ice sculptures to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the university or a new OU Hummer,” Twardy said.

But Bashi thinks that students demanding their money back may be a bit hasty.

“I want my check too, but if you think about it as an investment in our future, things start to change,” said Bashi, who said that no matter his opinion he would do what the students wanted done.

Twardy already has experience on OUSC as a legislator and Student Services Director. 

Clark was the captain of OU’s soccer team and has lived both on and off campus.

Bashi is an Honors College student, who founded the Iraqi-American Student Alliance and is involved with many other campus groups.

Students can vote online starting March 24 through March 26.