Sweeps week has begun, and the candidates for the Binghamton University Student Association elections have taken their best broom out of the closet, and are vying to clean up at the polls on March 1 and 2.

On Feb. 14, the SA election committee held the first round of sweeps, during which candidates for the six executive board positions visited campus dorm communities to answer questions and campaign.

The five presidential contenders are Michael Schiffman, Chris Strub, Alex Rosenthal, Chris McDonnell and Graig Klein. The president’s job is to act as the student body’s voice; their way of connecting with the administration.

Schiffman began the speeches for the presidential candidates.

“If I’m elected I will be that person you can talk to,” Schiffman said.

He also promised to see to the completion of the movement of BUC$ to off-campus locations, a project started by current president Mike Smyth.

“My goal is to represent the desires of every student at BU,” Strub said, adding that he also plans to “expand the food court, so there is better and healthier food.” In addition, he wants to include an ATM in all dining halls.

Rosenthal’s main focus is student expenditures. He wants to “reduce student costs on campus by making a refillable mug program, to save money and the environment.” This program would replace the paper cups in the dining halls with individualized mugs.

When it comes to both shoppers and off-campus commuters, McDonnell hopes for “a more rigorous bus schedule in order to properly facilitate the student body.” He is also looking to expand the number of ATMs on campus and the locations that will accept BUC$ off campus.

Graig Klein’s agenda ranged from “working to stop the administration from using Alcohol.Edu as a form of punishment,” to correcting the clocks on campus. He also plans to work with the audio visual department to strengthen the faculty’s knowledge of the system.

Running for the position of executive vice president (EVP), the officer who manages the activities of clubs on campus and looks over the community governments, are Chris Powell and incumbent EVP David Belsky.

“It is not the job of the EVP to be the voice of the students,” Powell said, “but to be the ears.” Powell added that he will try to create more interaction between ResLife and greek life.

Belsky responded by saying that he will be the nose on campus, and he plans to “sniff out what’s happening at BU.”

“Basically what I want to see the SA become is a better experience,” he said.

The candidates for vice president for University Programming — an office that brings entertainment, such as concerts, to campus and handles the budget involved in this task— are Kevin Ranegan, Sandra Dube and Garrett Dorfman.

“My intention is to not just bring high-end entertainment, but also small groups,” Ranegan said. He wants to “bring more than just a couple of 7,000-people shows. We have the Mandella Room and the lecture halls that should be utilized.”

Dube said that she would “guarantee the proper allocation of funds by balancing the budget responsibly.” She won’t emphasize music alone, but intends to include book signings and festivals and will have an open mind when choosing who will come to BU.

“I plan to bring in a series of lectures and cultural groups,” said Dorfman, “and end with someone like Conan O’Brian.” Dorfman also stressed that he wants to start concert season earlier.

The two candidates running for academic vice president, the office which works to promote academic programs on campus, are Graham Kates and Rebecca Kaufman.

Kaufman plans to “institute new ideas that this campus has never seen, like a liberal arts fair,” creation of majors, a medical school fair and a booklet for students to easily access internships.

Kates is focused on ridding BU of its “ridiculous” add/drop deadlines, along with building the “accessibility of courses” and working to lower textbook costs. Kates added that during finals week, Night Owls should be open 24 hours a day.

Incumbent vice president for multicultural affairs (VPMA) J. Nathaniel Reed is running against David Bass. The VPMA works with all the cultural groups on campus and handles other multicultural issues.

Bass said that he has been involved in raising awareness about the earthquake in Pakistan, and plans to bring attention to the genocide in Darfur and the Sudan. Bass believes Reed hasn’t “realized an agenda.”

“In being given the opportunity to serve last semester, I came to a point where the office had lost its integrity,” Reed said. He said he has been working to fix the problem this past semester and will work on external issues more if he is re-elected.

Richard Marmolejos is the only candidate for financial vice president. This office looks over the income and expenditures of the SA. Marmolejos said that he would “make sure the office is still running, and that other groups are on budget.”