In two years’ time she brought Safe Zones training to council members of Associated Students, became the president of the Afrikan Student Union and asked the entire campus to “pledge diversity.” A candidate for this year’s A.S. elections, Representative of the College of Arts and Letters Channelle McNutt said she has a few ideas in mind for “meeting students halfway.”
Currently, she also holds the position of diversity commissioner and has co-chaired the restructuring process for the past year.
A year ago, McNutt, along with her then Co-Commissioner Janelle Fejeran, began a campaign called Pledge Diversity. Its purpose is for students to individually commit to diversity and inclusion at San Diego State. Last year, then-President Stephen L. Weber signed the pledge she wrote calling students to action in regards to diversity and social justice. President Elliot Hirshman signed it this year.
“I’ve been able to diversify my own perspective on community engagement and my understanding of communities I had no idea about,” McNutt said in regards to her own pledge. “It’s about being advocates for communities that aren’t as heavily represented.”
McNutt said she has done extensive work with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning community, having a majority of A.S. Council members Safe Zones-trained this semester.
Safe Zones at SDSU trains students, staff and faculty to improve the campus climate for LGBTQ people, according to women’s studies professor Esther Rothblum.
“Currently, within the Cholula Center, which is the cross-cultural center for the time being during construction, there is an LGBTQ resource center as well as a women’s resource center there, which are kind of serving as templates for the centers that will be within the new student union,” McNutt said.
As co-chair of the Restructuring Committee, McNutt has been part of the governmental restructuring of A.S. since its beginning. Last summer, McNutt and Tom Rivera, current candidate for the executive vice president of external affairs position, helped construct the initial proposal for the new government. Throughout the academic year, the chairs have met with an elected committee to reshape the proposal. Their meetings have been open to the public.
At Wednesday’s debate, McNutt said the A.S. restructure will permit members to specialize on their positions so everyone on campus can be fully represented.
This is an item of controversy in the restructuring process, because it suggests the concentration of seats, or getting rid of numerous positions; the most talked-about one being the future standing of cultural organizations in A.S.
In the current structure, each cultural organization would have an individual seat on the council. The proposed structure would put all cultural organizations within a so-called Multi-Cultural Caucus. The last few meetings of the restructuring committee have focused on the future of the MCC. McNutt also brought some of the current chairs in the caucus into the restructuring meetings, to provide their own input to the committee.
“The conversation was left off with the Multi-Cultural Caucus still serving as the place for cultural orgs and underrepresented orgs to come and speak,” McNutt said. “There was even a discussion before that of having at least one representative be a member of the MCC for every college council.”
During the debate, McNutt said she prioritized communication with students more than fiscal responsibility, sustainability and transparency. McNutt said she put transparency last because it is something A.S. already does.
McNutt said her plan, in regards to communication, is to meet students halfway. According to McNutt, there has been an obvious outreach from A.S. to freshmen students throughout the years. Tabling and orientation are designed to attract newcomers, McNutt said, but she is concerned about the upperclassmen. She said “guerilla marketing” was a possible way of attracting these students.
McNutt said she felt passionate about one particular political and social issue: the problems pertaining to higher education in California. According to McNutt, the number of male inmates of color in prison is greater than those in universities.
“The amount of money that goes into prisons in comparison to institutes of higher learning is ridiculous,” McNutt said.
According to McNutt, ASU members recently discussed how the budget cuts were affecting them individually. McNutt said several of the organization’s members were shocked when they discovered their financial stability and their position at SDSU were also at risk, when the California State University Board of Trustees considered cutting down financial aid.
“It was eye-opening for them because they realized the commitment they have to their brothers and sisters who haven’t made it yet,” McNutt said. “They really need to advocate on their behalf so they can make sure those students will have financial aid in the future.”
McNutt is a third-year student aspiring to graduate in the spring of 2013 with a double major in political science and communications. After graduating, she plans on going to law school and receiving her Juris Doctor to practice law in California.
By Arturo Garcia
- Joe Stewart is not the average candidate running for Vice President of Associated Students. Unlike his opponent, he does not want to win.
Last year, Stewart ran for the same position. The difference between this year and its predecessor is the fact that he actually did want to win the position last year.
“I really did run because I was pissed off, about what was going on with campus, especially what’s going on with this Modern Space,” Stewart said. “I will be talking about that until the day I die, or until I sue.”
Stewart said he disagrees with the fact that Modern Space has increased student tuition, when only 4,050 out of San Diego State’s nearly 33,000 students voted in favor of the building.
“If I were elected, I would not allow the administration to manipulate the council like they do,” Stewart said.
During the last Wednesday’s A.S. debates, Stewart explained his reasons for running and why he was calling himself Joe “None of the Above” Stewart. According to Stewart, he does not want students to vote for any of the candidates. Instead, he is advocating they chose “none of the above” on the ballot.
Stewart said there should be a drastic change in the A.S. student government before students elect more representatives. His vision is that if no one were elected, then A.S. would have to rethink its structure and motives.
Stewart is currently editor-in-chief of his own publication, Brick Road Magazine. The magazine serves as an outlet for students to voice their opinions in a safe domain without fear of backlash. Stewart said his magazine is a more positive outlet to express his opinion than elected office.
Stewart said he does not believe Rob O’Keefe, candidate for A.S. president, and Channelle McNutt, candidate for A.S. vice president, fully understand what their positions are. He said he is unsure if McNutt can keep her focus on the meticulous aspects of the organization. However, he did say each candidate has strengths as well.
“Really and truly, though, I think those are two great candidates, and I think that a lot more will be done this year than the past year,” Stewart said.
By Tara Millspaugh
