The presidential candidates for American University Student Government took the stage to debate key topics and answer questions from their constituents on Feb. 26 for the fourth annual presidential debate.
Hosted in partnership with the Kennedy Political Union and moderated by The Eagle, the three candidates, Aasiyah Beamon, Carly Castaldy and Asher Heisten, outlined their similar visions for the future of AUSG.
Here are some key takeaways from the event.
The Candidates
Aasiyah Beamon, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, is focusing her platform on belonging, accessibility, accountability and transparency. She is currently a senator for CAS, the Equity and Title IX chair of the Senate and the vice chair of finance. Beamon cited her leadership experience as an executive board member on seven different campus organizations as one of her major strengths.
School of Public Affairs junior Carly Castaldy said she is focusing on two main policy goals: campus experience and communication. Castaldy has previously served as chair of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Committee, as well as in the Undergraduate Senate, Dining Advisory Board and as an election administrator. She highlighted her adaptability and personability as standout qualities for her campaign.
Asher Heisten, a junior in SPA, began his campaign by addressing perceived issues at the University and within AUSG. He reminded audience members of his experience both outside and inside AUSG, as a senator and organizer, as a strength to his policy priorities. He said he will focus on student representation and addressing national issues impacting college campuses overall.
Positions on Student Representation
A central topic of the evening was the perceived disconnect between AUSG and the student body. All three candidates highlighted the need for students to feel like their voices are represented.
“Sometimes it can be hard for students to feel that their voices are actually being heard,” Castaldy said.
Both Beamon and Heisten echoed that sentiment and emphasized the need for proactive outreach.
“What I really want to do is be able to reach out … to the everyday student … [so] I can go into a room full of administration who doesn’t look like me and tell them what students who don’t look like me, who don’t think like me, also want to have happen,” Beamon said.
Positions on the Budget
According to Heisten, AUSG’s $100,000 budget allocation was another topic central to online discussion of the event. Both Beamon and Castaldy highlighted the need to prioritize funding for student clubs and organizations. Castaldy said she is advocating for increased publicity of the club funding process and Beamon suggested improved communication with the undergraduate senate for funding distribution.
Heisten said he believes AUSG should shift its funding to provide more services to students on campus, specifically mentioning bike and van rental services.
“I think AUSG should go back to using those kinds of opportunities to spend its budget, to provide services directly to students,” Heisten said.
As for the president’s stipend, Beamon and Castaldy said they plan to put the allocated $6,000 towards their tuition. Heisten offered a different approach.
“The president’s stipend is too high,” Heisten said. “What I plan on doing is donating half of my stipend to nonprofit organizations outside, and I will have people participating in that process and decide where that money goes.”
Positions on Advocacy and Campus Issues
When discussing administrative advocacy for students, Beamon and Casaldy took similar stances, citing a need to work with University administration.
“It is really important that the president and the other members of e-board can toe the line between pushing the administration on advocacy goals and outright pissing them off,” Castaldy said.
However, Heisten is taking a more direct approach.
“I believe that [the admin] deserve[s] to be called out and held accountable in public,” Heisten said. “That’s something that we really need to do more as students.”
On the topic of the University’s connections to the Epstein files, all three candidates called for the investigation and removal of individuals whose presence makes students feel uncomfortable on campus.
“They should fire [Earl Anthony Wane] regardless [of investigation results], because students don’t feel safe, students don’t feel protected,” Beamon said.
As the election approaches, students are still weighing the three candidates.
“I’m looking for somebody [who] actually represents all of us, all the student body in general,” said Pablo Pereira, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business. “Standing up for our rights, like our freedom of speech rights, is something very important for me right now.”
Erin DeSantis, a freshman in SPA, emphasized the need for the candidates to have specific plans for their presidency.
“Things like free laundry, for example, [sound] really great, but unless you have a more concrete plan on how you want to get it done, it’s gonna be pretty hard to do,” DeSantis said.
Voting for all AUSG elected positions opened on March 2 via mass email to the student body and will remain open until March 6.
This article was edited by Natalie Hausmann, Payton Anderson and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Jaden Maitland Anderson, Mattie Lupo and Ava Stuzin.
