The penultimate Associated Students, Inc. candidate forum was held on Tuesday, April 12 in the University Union California Suite.

Tuesday’s forum featured candidates running for executive vice president and vice president of finance. The candidates were Juan “JP” Gonzalez and Kylee Homecillo, for executive vice president, and Randy M. Chen and Paayal Deo, for vice president of finance.

Tuesday’s forum expanded upon the themes of student unity at Sacramento State and the affordability of college, as well as exploring the idea of transparency within ASI.

“If I am elected the next vice president of finance, I would like to be a real leader within the Sacramento State community,” Chen said. “We have a lot to offer here.”

Chen later reiterated the importance of the Hornet family and of being proud of Sac State as a whole.

“I just feel like if we really got to know one another and were able to connect as a family … we are made at Sacramento State. When we graduate, we can be proud to be made here,” Chen said.

Tackling the issue of transparency within ASI were candidates Juan “JP” Gonzalez and Kylee Homecillo.

“I believe that the transparency issue deals with basically not hearing much about the student government on campus,” Gonzalez said.

Homecillo elaborated further, stating that if she were executive vice president, she would encourage the board of directors to be more transparent.

“I believe that sometimes when directors get into their positions, they forget to go into their clubs and organizations,” Homecillo said. “I want to make sure that the board of directors are transparent to their organizations and to the student body at large.”

The financial burden on students was also a focal point of Chen’s remarks.

“Last semester … students applied for scholarships, … I found a commonality reading these essays. I feel like the one commonality is that they have a financial burden. I want to help more students with their financial burdens; I want to help minimize costs,” Chen said.

The idea of social justice was also discussed by the candidates, especially Homecillo.

“I am here to stand against the injustice,” Homecillo said, “fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and educate students on the resources we have on campus.”

The final ASI candidate forum will be held on Monday, April 18 from noon to 1 p.m. in the University Union California Suite.

Voting will be conducted both online and at locations throughout campus starting Tuesday, April 19 at 8 a.m. until Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. To get more information on the candidates, ballot measures and campus polling locations, go to www.asi.csus.edu/student-government/elections/voter-information.