The OUSA presidential campaigns kicked off with a night-time forum at Starters last Tuesday, followed by a daytime debate the next day. The two candidates, Sammy Bergen and Michaela Waite-Harvey, are similar in their political views but they insist that they both offer different things to students. The long and short of these differences, according to the candidates, is that Sammy is older and has more life experience, compared to Michaela’s nearly-10 months of being on the OUSA Executive already.
Tuesday Evening Presidential Debate
It’s last Tuesday at 7:30pm. Location: Starters Bar. Students: Armed with cheap pints. The mood is incredibly friendly, which isn’t hard to do when all 34 attendees know each other and at least one of the candidates. The likelihood of heckling was disappointingly low. The candidates and the hosts - Kayli Taylor from Radio One and Caroline Moratti from Critic - sat on the stage under a green glow.
The debate kicked off with the usual introductions. Sammy introduced himself firstly in te reo, followed by a brief English introduction to himself and his policies, which although optimistic and passionate, lacked substance. As a tutor who is currently working on his Masters in Geography, and having lived in England, his main point was to explain how important education is to the student body and how he wants to “take everything I learned and give it back to the community”.
Michaela, with less of a personal introduction, cut to the chase and listed off both her experience and a detailed explanation of what she would specifically bring to the position. She would put a degree in Law, Classics, and Politics on hold if she were to get the position. As this year’s Welfare and Equity Representative, Michaela is no stranger to the OUSA bureaucracy, and cites the importance of “consistency of leadership” for furthering success and development in the future.
Their introductions set the tone for the rest of the debate. It was Michaela’s on-the-nose institutional insider knowledge and Sammy’s worldly experience and personable flair going head to head.
When asked what word each candidate would use to describe OUSA, Sammy chose “wonderful,” which is interesting, given the amount of OUSA scandals this year. Michaela chose “unionism,” and Karl Marx gave a little shiver of glee in his frozen grave.
When politics came up, Sammy answered first, weaving through a long-winded explanation about how he will share his affiliation with anyone that asks. But, because of his high regard for “democracy,” he said, “I pride myself on the fact that no one knows my political affiliations”. Immediately after this, he admitted to being a Green supporter.
Michaela is an executive member of Southern Young Labour, and outspoken on social media about it, so no one was surprised at her answer (that is, until she changes her answer the next day: read on for more). The question, it turns out, was from Liam Wairepo, the Labour candidate for Waitaki that Michaela’s campaigning for.
The conversation soon moved towards the glass problem in North D. Both candidates agreed that glass in Studentville was an issue, but were then further pushed by an audience member to care more about disabled students. Both faltered at this question, Sammy responding, “We do care? Mentality shifts overnight won’t happen, we can only take steps.” Michaela similarly provided a vague, long term answer, “Students do make an effort, but need to make more… It is a big transition.”
Cannabis use and the upcoming referendum also received similar answers from the two. Both supporting the referendum, Sammy used the classic line, “it’s a plant, get over it,” and Michaela outlined her strong advocacy for OUSA’s support of the referendum over the course of this year, citing her brother’s arrest for small possession as a personal influence on her stance.
The topic on queer inclusion and representation within the Uni was a telling answer for both cantidates. Sammy referred to his own experience as a queer person on campus, saying, “we need more than one queer space on campus,” unfortunately revealing his lack of experience in the Uni LGBTQ+ advocacy communities, namely that there hasn’t been a queer space on campus since at least 2017, if not earlier.
Michaela said she started working on the gender transition policy this week. As it currently stands, said Michaela, the system is lined with red tape, with students having to pay to change names on Uni documents, even when their name has been legally changed, as well as the admin around username changes.
Both candidates aggressively refused to participate in Critic’s “The Bachelor” if it happened again next year. Despite it being a little bit of a pussy move, it does reveal that they have slightly more dignity than our current president.
When discussing improving OUSA engagement with students, Michaela listed a number of initiatives, notably surveys. “It’s improved how the Uni listened to us, it shows them that we have a student mandate.” Sammy brought up a personal angle, citing his approachability as a missing element of OUSA leadership. “When I went to OUSA, it was one of the most intimidating things I’ve ever done.”
Their answers throughout the debate revealed a lot about their personalities and campaign models. Sammy, the ‘I’m not like other student politicians,’ candidate with real world experience, and Michaela, ‘straight-to-top-dog,’ OUSA veteran and brimming with connections and institutional knowledge from the inside.
Their closing statement, on the reaction of the Uni to Covid-19, and how to protest the Uni during a lockdown period went largely the same way as the rest of the debate, real-world versus by-the-playbook. “We got screwed over, Otago specifically,” said Sammy, citing Massey’s system as comparison. He didn’t offer examples of how to rally students during a lockdown, though, which had been the question. Michaela offered petitions as a protesting alternative during lockdowns, but also pointed out that a lot of decision-making doesn’t happen right at the top, but by other senior University management, with whom Michaela already has working relationships from her time in OUSA.
The winner: Michaela, for having specific policy proposals and knowing OUSA stuff.
Daytime Presidential Debate
The daytime forum, much like daytime television, is always slightly worse than its night-time equivalent. The candidates are a bit drained of energy, there’s no alcohol involved, and by the end of the debate there are only 17 audience members left. The presidential candidates, Michaela and Sammy, had pretty similar views and were not out to attack each other, so no tense political drama went down.
It began, as these debates do, with a fun fact and a question about why they love Otago Uni. Michaela’s fun fact was that she cuts her own hair “because it’s cheaper and I’m good at it”. She said she loves Otago because of “the community and the people I’ve known here. I’m really grateful and thankful for that.”
Sammy’s fun fact was a bold claim that he has “never been beaten at Tekken on the console in Dunedin”. He said: “I love being in a student community, those little moments like why are these people here, in this room, together? Those would not happen in everyday life.”
Michaela’s political views had changed in the 14 hours since the night-time debate (possibly due to TVNZ’s depressingly centrist leaders debate between Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern). She said she was voting “maybe Greens. I have to make my mind up.” She did acknowledge that she is on the Southern Young Labour Exec and running Liam Wairepo’s campaign for Waitaki so this was a surprising answer.
Sammy is voting “two ticks Green”. When asked if he was fighting for the same things as Michaela, he said “you could make that argument”. “Most student politicians who are on the same side of the compass are fighting for the same things, the same student interests, but there are things that separate us.”
When asked what would make them a better President than the other candidate, Michaela said that “next year, I have a vision so that OUSA is viable for future execs to be there for the tough times,” whereas Sammy cited his “management experience”, which he juggled full time on top of studies: “I can mediate between the student base and the different ideas, be the unifier and represent the student base in a strong and motivational way.” Michaela had two policy proposals ready to pitch to us: reform to the Education Act so that three student representatives could sit on the University Council (the presidents of OUSA, Te Roopū Māori, and The University of Otago Pacific Islands Students Association). Her other policy was to educate the presidents of clubs on OUSA policies and processes.
When the candidates were asked “what does the other candidate lack compared to you?”, there was a pause of about ten seconds because neither of them wanted to roast each other. Then Sammy said, reluctantly, “a postgrad degree? I’ve been tutoring at the Uni for three years, lived overseas, attended two unis in NZ, those are experiences I’ve had. I’m older and took chances by the horns.” Michaela responded, also somewhat reluctantly, with: “I have the experience of being on the Exec in a 20-hour role this year. I know how to do the operational side around budget-setting and how to represent students in negotiations with Uni leadership.”
The candidates were also unwilling to roast current OUSA President Jack Manning. 2019 Education Officer Will Dreyer asked the candidates what they would do differently this year from the current OUSA President. Michaela, who was asked to go first, looked uncomfortable. After Jack yelled “you can be mean to me” from the crowd, they started to answer. “I would have gone to that student hardship meeting,” said Michaela, referring to the recent scandal when Jack chose to show Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters around campus over attending that meeting. Sammy instead alluded to having inside knowledge of Exec division and issues of a lack of action in the current President. “There was no massive foot stomp to say yes, we are making these decisions, and OUSA needed that,” said Sammy.
After this, Will re-asked his question to Michaela, saying she didn’t answer it properly. After a beat, she said, “I’d show up more”.
One of the final questions was on how each of the candidates handle criticism. “I don’t really let people get me down,” said Michaela. “I back myself and I call my mum.” Sammy said “once I had homophobia directed right at me. I walked up to him, said ‘you’re crack up aren’t you?’, knocked over his drink and walked away.”
The hosts then asked him, if he would kick over Harlene’s drink and walk away if she’s mean to him. “I will kick over Harlene’s drink and walk away,” Sammy said. But he then denied that this was a campaign promise, and qualified his statement by saying he would only kick over the drink and walk away “if it was on the ground”.
The winner: Michaela, again, for having specific policy proposals and knowing OUSA stuff.