The presidential and vice presidential candidates in the upcoming Associated Students of the University of Nevada, Reno elections went head-to-head in two debates on Saturday, March 8, hosted in the Joe Crowley Student Union. During the ASUN Debates, the candidates had an opportunity to respond to questions and discuss face-to-face their unique visions on the policies and directions that ASUN should take.
The general election, including the presidential and vice presidential elections, is now open and will continue through tomorrow, March 13 at 5 p.m. Voting can be accessed through this link.
At the top of the ballot are two campaigns gunning for the president and vice president positions: Home Means Nevada, featuring Carmina Aglubat for president and Ethan McNamara for vice president; and MartinCaruso2025, featuring Joel Martin for president and Camryn Caruso for vice president.
Vice presidential debate
To begin the debate, each candidate was given three minutes to present an opening statement.
Following a coin toss, McNamara began. His opening statement highlighted the Home Means Nevada campaign’s core tenets of tradition, wellness, connection and community, and he discussed his personal background as a Reno local and the importance of the culture and community of the university.
He also outlined his campaign’s desire to improve ASUN outreach to clubs and organizations, support services and local government, and mentioned the idea of adding a student advisory board to promote more student involvement with the association.
Caruso followed with her own statement. She began by introducing herself as an active member of the university’s community and described her leadership experience within both the Pi Beta Phi sorority and the Reynolds School of Journalism’s student council executive board.
She explained that her experience has shown her the importance of strong leadership, and that she aims to use her status as an outsider to ASUN as an advantage to help foster a stronger connection between the student body and association.
After opening statements, candidates faced six questions with an option for rebuttal. Professional development and internships, the university’s relationship to local businesses and fostering student participation and community at the university were frequent topics.
Both Caruso and McNamara agreed that more career fairs and expanding business partnerships were necessary. Existing programs, like the Pack Internship Grant Program, the Nevada Career Studio and mentorship programs were mentioned by the candidates as avenues that ASUN could use to help market opportunities to students.
Caruso also proposed working with academic advisors to promote more transparency in academic advising so that students have knowledge of streamlined timelines for graduation, course prerequisites and career planning, while McNamara added that he hopes to get more “in tune with the legislative branch” and create more specific opportunities for different colleges and majors.
The candidates also returned often to the university’s relationship with the Reno community. McNamara stressed that the university should be a part of the community and strive toward creating the “college town” feeling in Reno. He also advocated for introducing different and new types of deals with businesses alongside the existing Pack Friendly Business program, such as having special promotional “UNR Days” at local storefronts with significant discounts targeted towards students.
Caruso emphasized marketing and getting students more aware of the deals and opportunities that already exist, saying that many students don’t know they have student discounts. She said featuring small businesses at ASUN events and using ASUN social media to advertise the university’s partnerships with local businesses could strengthen this connection.
The candidates also considered approaches to fostering community and student engagement in the university, one of ASUN’s larger directives. McNamara emphasized the importance of funding and expanding support systems such as Pack Rides, Pack Provisions and Legal Services, especially for low-income and first-generation students.
Caruso focused on making information accessible to all students, such as promoting the ASUN website and Canvas as ways to find public information, and allowing students to get involved with clubs and organizations throughout the semester. She also mentioned the importance of safety on campus, especially for freshmen, and making those resources more accessible.
Caruso and McNamara seemed to agree on the importance of making events and activities fun and inviting to students as a way to build community, and both want to continue the university’s traditions such as the Welcome Week concert or Running with the Wolves. McNamara said these traditions build a culture of being involved, and that these events can “really rally support from the ground up.” He also described a desire for ASUN to work closer with Nevada Athletics and other organizations on campus to build stronger traditions for the entire student body.
Presidential debate
Aglubat’s statement outlined her commitment to students and her personal background with the University of Nevada, Reno, being a Reno native. She described how her experience of growing up in Reno and finding a sense of belonging at the university inspired her deep desire to serve the students and community.
Martin’s opening statement dove right into his campaign goals, highlighting the “Pack Pact” at the center of his platform and citing specific aims such as lowering costs, revitalizing campus traditions, expanding tutoring, and increasing funding for organizations.
Candidates faced seven questions with an option for rebuttal. The ASUN budgeting process, student opportunities, rising costs, ASUN’s relations with the student body and clubs and organizations dominated the discussion.
Martin argued that clubs and organizations are the number one way that students see a return on their investment in ASUN, and so ASUN should allocate more funds to them. He argued that when working with clubs and organizations, it was best to talk face-to-face directly with campus leaders.
Aglubat’s idea was different, instead proposing that ASUN send students a budget assessment survey in which they can rank areas they would rather have funds given to. She also said that she has met with students and gained a better understanding of their wants while along her campaign trail.
Martin heavily criticized the idea of a budget survey throughout the debate, stating that ASUN has used surveys before and they have not worked well. In defense, Aglubat said that the main problem with past surveys was that students didn’t always understand the terminology in the survey and the complexities of the ASUN organization. To remedy this, she said she would make sure the survey used is accessible and easy to understand for all students, breaking down the terminology used.
Aglubat went on to emphasize expanding the Pack Internship Grant Program, as well as hosting more career fairs. She said she can advocate for students in meetings with administration, including when talking to the Provost’s Office and the President’s Office.
Martin argued that students should have an “outlet” in Reno to work in fields they are passionate about post-graduation, and to achieve this he proposed hosting career fairs for all colleges, promoting scholarships more and working alongside community leaders to give students more opportunities. Aglubat agreed and stressed creativity in designing networking events, suggesting having not only formal career fairs but also meetings with alumni and panels with professionals as examples of different kinds of events ASUN could help organize.
The issue of fee increases for students was also discussed, as costs for the university keep rising. Both candidates affirmed their support for allocating more funds to Pack Provisions, the on-campus food pantry. Aglubat expressed her want to move Pack Provisions to a new, larger location and employ more people, which Martin also agreed with and added that during this past session he had negotiated that space in the new Fieldhouse project be used for refrigerators for Pack Provisions.
Aglubat also outlined her idea to hold a monthly farmers’ market on campus where students can buy not only fresh produce, but also artisan goods at an affordable price. She said that ASUN can partner with local businesses and farmers for the event and offer subsidies to lower prices for students.
In contrast, Martin advocated for an on-campus grocery store, which Aglubat countered as being not sustainable or practical when options such as Pack Provisions exist. Martin argued that the farmers’ market “can only subsidize so much”, and that getting groceries at Raley’s, Smith’s or other grocers in Reno is not accessible for many students.
While discussing the fee increases, Martin criticized the Board of Regents for passing every single proposed student fee increase in a meeting Dec. 5. Aglubat then pointed out that Martin had also voted in favor of several student fee increases during the current session. To counter this, Martin argued that he voted for fees he thought would help the student body, such as a $25 fee increase for the Tutoring Center.
The proposed fee increases, totalling $237.50 each semester for a 15-credit student, are set to go into effect this coming August.
On the subject of transparency and accountability within ASUN, Martin was firm in his resolve to have proper oversight. He described this process as hiring officers that are qualified and dependable, having a streamlined club funding process and having liaisons be able to explain the funding process to students.
Martin also brought up recent ASUN legislation surrounding a Senate to Student Forum Canvas page, which would allow students to engage and discuss with ASUN directly through Canvas.
Aglubat said that it was important for officers to hold themselves accountable, which she said can be done through “passionate leadership”. She also stressed the importance of working with student media, particularly naming the Sagebrush, to hold ASUN members accountable for their actions.
Aglubat brought up her idea of student advisory boards, inviting students beyond ASUN to have a place to discuss with the association. She’d also proposed student advisory boards as a way to improve diversity and representation for university students.
Martin rebutted, arguing that advisory boards have low participation and can be ultimately ineffective. Aglubat continually defended student advisory boards, saying boards may not work if they are performative and officers don’t actually listen to students, but that her idea for a board would be passionate about listening and provide an organized avenue for students to work with the association.
By mending the connection between the students and ASUN and rebuilding the community’s trust in it as an institution, ASUN can increase student participation and engagement in their events, Aglubat argued. Martin reiterated the importance of the oversight that he believes is lacking in the current institution.
Clubs and organizations loomed large in the debate’s final question. Aglubat stressed that belonging is something she aims to help every student find at the university and argued in favor of hosting more ASUN-sponsored events in collaboration with clubs and organizations on campus. She also shared ideas to increase the publicity for these groups: reinstating the homecoming parade tradition, allowing clubs and organizations to have a showcase; and creating a database of clubs and organizations in which students can fill out and be “matched” with clubs and organizations that they may be interested in. Aglubat said the database could help promote joining clubs even after the first week of the semester has gone by.
Martin returned throughout the debate to his view of having “common sense leadership” — sitting down and talking to university leaders directly. He encouraged ASUN to be more proactive and “go to them instead of waiting for them to come to us”. He also proposed having designated office hours for ASUN officers, to allow students to schedule time to meet with them and share concerns or propositions.
Martin began his closing statement by saying that throughout his campaign, he’s found that students “are more alike than different”. He stressed his initiative to build the community of the university and promised that his campaign wants every student to be heard.
Aglubat’s statement reflected upon ASUN’s current state, saying the association is at a “crossroads” with a loss of trust from students that needs to be rebuilt. She said her campaign aims to help the university and its students through public service and bold policies that will challenge current institutions.
Siena Howard can be reached via email at sienahoward@unr.edu or on Instagram @sienavhoward.
