Newly-Formed Party Announces Executive Slate

The Friends Urging Campus Kindness party announced its executive slate for ASUC elections yesterday.

The newly-formed party, which announced its slate on a napkin, chose current Berkeley College Republicans President Ross Lingenfelder as its presidential candidate, Chris Page as the executive vice presidential candidate, Arnaud-Victor Monteux as the academic affairs vice presidential candidate, Mateo Vasquez as external affairs vice presidential candidate and Peter Kapelanski as the student advocate candidate.

Lingenfelder said the party's acronym was meant to attract attention.

"We thought it would draw attention and we thought it was appropriate given the level of political rhetoric among the larger parties on campus," he said.

While Lingenfelder said the party's platform has not been finalized, he has a definite idea of his plans if elected.

"My platform is basically to eliminate student fees, which would be replaced with funding for the ASUC with on-campus casinos," he said.

Some of the party's candidates said they chose to run in order to point out the need for change in the association.

"I decided to run because there are a lot of problems with the ASUC as it currently is," Page said. "The executives are using too much power and using their office budgets for frivolous things."

Page said he will not announce the specifics of his platform until he is elected.

"I have a really great plan to fix the ASUC and all its problems but I will not tell anyone my plan until I am elected," he said. "I will not be making any grandiose promises except trying to fix everything in general."

Independent Senator Nadir Shams said he supports third party candidates so long as they have serious ideas.

"It's nice to have parties like these but the candidates need to be serious," he said. "It's nice that it's out of the box but it's a little too out of the box."

But Page said the party's unique goals will make it appealing to voters.

"The established parties have had their chance for the past several years to get things done and they have wasted students' time and money and I think it's time for a change and to try a different plan," he said.

Tags: ASUC, ELECTIONS