CUSG Representative-At-Large candidates debate in the Wolf Law buildings Wittemyer Courtroom (Scott Tan/CU Independent).
Correction: A previous version of this story stated responded to a claim made by Jake Degani that one of Boulder SJP’s posts on their Instagram had Hamas terrorists in the background by saying that “the CU Independent could not independently verify his claims.” He has since provided the CU Independent with a screenshot of the instagram post. That section has been updated to include a conformation of that statement and more context and now includes a screenshot of the instagram post.
With voting for the University of Colorado Boulder’s Student Government Representative-at-Large already open, seven of the 10 candidates debated campus issues on Oct. 30. Topics ranged from addressing rising trends in sexual assault and anti-semitism to combatting mental health issues in college students.
Voting is available till Friday, Nov. 8 through the CU Boulder Buff Portal. A voter’s guide can be found through the ballot guide link on CU Boulder Student Government’s website.
The candidates present at the debate included junior Anthony Caruso, first year Carly Malamut, sophomore Jake Degani, senior Suvy Das, sophomore Tara Trabucco and sophomore Zach Lungenbill.
CUSG Representative-At-Large candidate Anthony Caruso has made mental health a pillar of his campaign. (Scott Tan/CU Independent)
Addressing Sexual Assault
Between 2021 and 2023, rape reports from CU students rose from 16 to 36 incidents on campus, more than doubling within three years. A common theme among the six candidates was that there needs to be an increased presence of figures of support on campus to help prevent sexual assault from happening.
One of Caruso’s campaign pillars is addressing the rise in sexual assault among CU Boulder students. Caruso suggested a system of student ambassadors present both on and off campus in high traffic areas. The goal of this system was to provide access to support and safety to students who need someone to talk to, removing an intimidation factor that might prevent students from reporting assaults out of fear of disciplinary action by the university.
Das intersected his plan of increasing student affordability with preventing sexual harassment by proposing that the CU Student Government should petition businesses to provide student discounts, using the example of Uber as a business that might help students avoid harmful situations. He explained that a discount of 15-20% for university students could incentivise students to take a safe route home, avoiding walking alone at night.
Overall, the six candidates agreed that one of the goals for CU Student Government would be to provide alternative and safe ways for students to transport around campus and Boulder late at night, as well as increasing the outreach and support system for students who might have fallen victim to sexual assault.
CUSG Representative-At-Large candidate Jake Degani listens to a question during the CU Independent Debate on Wednesday Oct. 30, 2024. (Scott Tan/CU Independent).
Mental Health
When asked about how to increase accessibility and awareness of the resources offered by CU Boulder in response to an increase in mental health needs post COVID-19, most of the candidates took an approach of implementing policies providing symptomatic treatment to mental health.
Lungenbill and Malamut both presented the idea of adding mental health days to increase the understanding between professors and students regarding mental health. Malamut gave the example that with early classes and the mandatory attendance of recitation, mental health days can help avoid repercussions when it comes to missing class due to issues with mental health.
Degani and Trabucco mentioned that they would want to increase advertising for the resources that the university already offers. Degani provided a focus on the Center for Student Involvement or CU Boulder’s Recreation Center, and how both of those establishments have resources for students struggling for mental health, but the majority of students might not be aware of those resources.
Das took an alternative approach to the mental health crisis at Boulder, presenting more preventative actions. He proposed that a small portion of the CUSG budget could be allocated into a system that would pay graduate students at the university to be accessible as a tutor for a certain amount of time each week.
“I have a feeling that alleviates a lot of the stress and anxiety that can sometimes lead to larger mental health problems,” Das said.
CUSG Representative-At-Large candidate Tara Tarabucco answers a question during the CU Independent Debate on Wednesday Oct. 30, 2024. (Scott Tan/CU Independent).
Boulder Students for Justice in Palestine
Following a protest by members of Students for Justice in Palestine (Boulder SJP) in early October, Boulder SJP was placed in bad standing as a registered student organization by the university, as well as two students being placed on interim exclusion. The protest had disrupted the CU Boulder 2024 Spotlight on Aerospace & Defense STEM career fair.
All six candidates agreed that freedom of speech on campus should be upheld and protected, and that protests should be protected from disciplinary action as long as they are not disruptive to the peace. They also all had similar stances on the placement of the students on interim exclusion for disrupting the career fair.
“I do not believe that it (the protest) was destructive behavior, but very disruptive to everyone who is a member of the engineering college, and everyone should be able to get opportunities to have their jobs if they need one,” Trabucco said.
Additionally, when asked to raise their hand if they supported the university’s decision to place Boulder SJP in bad standing in reaction to the actions of a few members, none of the candidates raised their hands.
Das went into further detail, explaining, “It’s very important that we separate people from groups, even if they’re part of the group.” Das believes that it was unfair for the university to place Boulder SJP in bad standing because a few members of the group were trespassing through the career fair they were not participating in for the intended purpose.
“To give them academic sanction and sanction their organization when their organization is trying to fight for the plight of the Palestinian people, I think it’s very unfair and speaks volumes about what the university’s stance is, especially if this were the other way around,” Das said.
Boulder Student for Justice in Palestine posted a graphic to its instagram on Oct. 7, 2024 calling for a day of resistance on the university of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. The graphic includes a a silhouette of someone on a paraglider. Hamas attackers used paragliders to cross the border into Israel. (Boulder_SJP Instagram account)
Degani agreed with the university’s decision to place the students on interim exclusion. He also voiced his opinion that the university should not support the club.
Degani brought up a post made by Boulder SJP on Oct. 7, 2024, the one year aniversary of the Hamas attacks against Israel. The attacks left 1,200 dead and 251 individuals held hostage. Of those hostages, 97 are still missing and 73 have been killed.
The graphic includes a a silhouette of someone on a paraglider. Some Hamas attackers used paragliders to cross the border into Israel. For that reason, he does not support the club.
Malamut, commented on the Boulder SJP’s request for the university to divest from defense contractors and the military industrial complex ties to campus through Lockheed Martin’s educational programs through the school of engineering.
“There’s no place for violence on our campus, and the fact that these mass destruction industries are funding parts of our school definitely feels like a threat,” Malamut said. “But Boulder is not making these destructive weapons. It’s an industry that will help teach students that are in whatever programs about instances with mass destruction.”
Rising anti-semitism on campus
In 2023, 15 counts of racial, intimidation-based hate crimes occurred on campus, a staggering difference from the 2 counts of racial hate crimes that were reported in 2021. The Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) witnessed an increase in anti-semitic and anti-Muslim sentiments since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023.
The 6 candidates responded to questions on addressing hate speech specific to anti-Semitism. The candidates took different stances on this topic, especially when discussing who should be de-escalating hate speech.
Lungenbill and Trabucco both said that they want to see a larger police presence on campus in response to the rise in anti-semitism and hate speech. Both candidates also mentioned that CUSG should serve as a place for students and clubs affected by hate speech to voice their opinions and ideas.
Caruso opposed the idea of a larger police presence to combat an increase in hate speech.
“The police have a large job, they have lots of things to deal with. I think particularly anti-semitism and hate speech are problems that can be dealt with through de-escalation,” Caruso said.
He proposed having university affiliated individuals present to take a neutral viewpoint as a way to de-escalate situations.
Other topics in the debate ranged from affordable housing, expanding club promotion and communication and creating a more eco-friendly campus. The debate was attended by CU Boulder students. The CU Independent hosted and administered the debate.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Ainsley Coogan at Ainsley.Coogan@colordado.edu
