The Black Student Union (BSU) hosted both ASWSU tickets to participate in a forum on Tuesday as part of an annual event.

The two tickets discussed racism and the culture of violence toward minorities and how the candidates would address these issues on campus if they were elected.

In response to a question from the BSU executive board asking what Black Lives Matter means to him, Garrett Kalt, ASWSU presidential nominee Jordan Frost’s running mate, said they are a group of people that hasn’t been listened to and that diversity needs to be recognized as a strength.

“As a straight, white, male, I have privilege,” Kalt said.

ASWSU presidential nominee Zachary Anders responded to the same question when he said he outgrew his conservative upbringing through conversations with others.

“You can’t remove the color of your skin like you can with a police uniform,” he said.

Frost said the “Drive to 25” is one way to help African-American students on campus. He said he would push initiatives such as student retention efforts, access to resources and faculty diversity to the top of the agenda.

Kai Amos, Anders’ running mate, said ASWSU officials are separated from the student body, but she and Anders would promote a more participatory form of leadership by visiting the multicultural clubs and centers.

Some members of BSU brought up their exasperation with lofty campaign rhetoric and unfulfilled campaign promises from previous ASWSU elections.

“I want to elect someone I can sit down and have a conversation with,” said Cameron McIver, a sophomore communication major.

She said she felt both sides brought up important ideas, though at times responses sounded rehearsed.

When asked to elaborate on how they would build a genuine connection with communities such as the black student community at WSU, Anders said he would be true to his word and reiterated the participatory approach to leadership.

Frost said he and Kalt would draw upon the connections they have built with administrators over the years.

Anders said his and Amos’ campaign would be the first since 2000 to be up for reelection, which would potentially keep them accountable and give them more time to work toward long term goals such as restructuring ASWSU.

Frost said there hasn’t been an executive staff committed to reaching out to people, and as the current chief of staff, he instituted periodical reviews to hold those in ASWSU accountable.

“I appreciate dialogue,” Anders said. “Are we making decisions based on 17,00 people?”

Amos said the students in attendance at the forum should keep whoever they elect accountable.   

“I’m really sorry if ASWSU hasn’t done your community justice,” Kalt said.

Kalt said he wanted to move away from “how can we help you?” and toward “how can we celebrate?” when working with multicultural communities.

“At the end of the day, we don’t want to be the only ones setting that agenda,” Frost said.

Amos and Frost are both persons of color. Tori Wright, the current ASWSU director of diversity efforts, said an unprecedented 12 out of 22 ASWSU senator candidates are people of color. This turnout can be attributed to the recent political climate, which she said encouraged more minorities to be politically engaged.

If students want to see more representation in ASWSU leadership, Wright said, they should also consider applying for executive staff positions in the future, which will be open as soon as this Friday.