On Tuesday evening, the Associated Students of Colorado State University hosted a roundtable event in collaboration with CSU Political Review and the Center for Public Deliberation. The event gave students the opportunity to interact with candidates and was one of many upcoming campaigning events. 

ASCSU Elections Manager Emily Arnow said the event was created to provide a space for open discourse and discussion, allowing students to be better informed when it comes time to vote.

“I hope students will take a broader understanding of the candidate tickets to represent them and feel better equipped to select the representatives that meet their needs and goals,” Arnow wrote in a statement provided to The Collegian. “I also hope students feel encouraged to continue building civic engagement at CSU and in their communities.”

This was ASCSU’s second annual Seats at the Table event, creating an opportunity for students to sit face-to-face with their potential leaders. Spread across different tables, candidates had the opportunity to engage with students and answer questions about their campaigns.

Campaign objectives ranged from housing affordability to postgraduate outlooks, but there was one theme each campaign had in common: connecting students’ needs to ASCSU’s actions.

“ASCSU oftentimes can be a bit of an echo chamber,” said Ben Gregg, a candidate for vice president running alongside Victoria Quesada-Stoner. “Looping in students who aren’t in ASCSU, who might not know a single person in ASCSU (is vital because) they will have a vastly different take on the university and its issues than we might.”

Candidates stressed the importance of acknowledging student needs and planning their policies and actions around what students want. Jakye Nunley, the current student body president running for reelection, stated that one of the main pillars of his and Abraham Mapatano’s campaign is humanization.

Mapatano, running alongside Nunley as his vice president, emphasized that knowing what students want helps to shape what their administration should look like.

“Face-to-face interaction is kind of the basis of the Nunley-Mapatano campaign,” Mapatano said. “The fact that we were able to sit down across from students and learn more about what problems they think about was an invaluable experience.”

The conversational format and intimacy through small-group discussions allowed each candidate to connect with students and explain their platforms. It also acted as a space for students to easily gather information about the candidates.

“I was able to get a presentation on each candidate,” said Alex Deboeck, a student attending the event. “It wasn’t like I had to do a whole lot of research in my spare time; there was a singular event I could go to in order to get a better understanding of who (could) be taking the presidency at CSU.”

Events similar to this one allow students to not only become informed about each candidate’s campaign, but it also allows them to get to know candidates’ personalities and backgrounds.

“When you’re campaigning, whether it’s at the student-government level, state level or even national level, I think in-person time is really important because, not only do you get to meet the person who’s running for the position or whatever it may be, but you also get to know them as a person,” said Estevan Vega, a candidate for student body president. “You can’t really make a true and fair decision unless you know that person and you’ve seen them face-to-face.”

Candidates have been campaigning for the past week, spending time tabling on The Plaza and at various events. With elections coming up next week, candidates said encouraging students to become informed on each candidate and campaign is more important than ever.

Ryer Roberts, who is running unopposed for speaker of the senate, said he hopes more students come to the next ASCSU roundtable, as candidates and attendees took a lot away from it.

“Any time we get students informed is a great time,” Roberts said. “This is an event that was set around student information and getting informed about campaigns.”

Reach Samantha Whitted at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.