By Anne Baker

About 100 students gathered at Curry Student Center’s West Addition to hear Student Government Association (SGA) presidential hopefuls Rob Ranley and Marines Piney kick off their campaigns with the first debate of the season last Thursday night.

The debate was sponsored by The News and monitored by Rosa Rodriguez Williams, director of the Latino/a Cultural Student Center. The candidates answered a selection of questions pre-submitted by students online, and each candidate opened and closed the debate with a prepared statement. There was also a period of open questions from the audience.

Ranley, current SGA vice president for financial affairs, won the coin-toss determining which candidate would speak first. He opened the debate with a speech outlining the experience that makes him a viable candidate, including his status as a rising senior and his role in SGA and the Kappa Sigma fraternity. “I feel the greatest asset I can bring to this presidency is my experience,” he said.