The event was intentionally structured by ASMSU as a forum, rather than a debate, a format that was fitting given the broad similarities among candidates on their priorities at MSU should they be elected. 

"Elections are contentious things, our politics have become so crazy these days, but look at what we have here at MSU," Balow, a Republican, said in his closing remarks. "We apparently have a bunch of candidates who are just trying to put themselves forth and no one’s saying anything bad about each other, and we all have very similar goals to each other."

Democrat Rebecca Bahar-Cook said "I don’t think MSU can do wrong with any of the four candidates."

Still, the two, hour-long sessions gave some insight into where the candidates — who are vying to tip the partisan balance on a deeply embattled board — vary in their approaches to improving the university and addressing concerns at the top of the minds of students. 

Diversity, equity and inclusion

The 2030 MSU strategic plan says the university will strive to recruit more diverse faculty and students. Balow and Stallworth were asked — aside from just recruiting — what they’ll do as trustees to ensure the university supports, retains and advances that diverse talent.

Balow said the key there is factoring in how well diverse talent is being retained into the "scorecard" the board keeps on the president’s administration.

"It's really in the execution, and if the results aren’t exactly where we want then how do we tweak that to get better?" Balow said, adding that he wants the recruiting and retention of diverse talent to not just be a priority of the administration but the board as well.  

Stallworth agreed with Balow, saying that in his experience working as a "diversity manager" in the corporate sector, including an evaluation of how fully diversity goals are being met is the "best way to drive the outcomes you want."

"It makes it very clear that … you are holding leadership accountable for embracing those values and pursuing them as much as they pursue other, more quantifiable objectives."

Maday and Bahar-Cook were asked how they would work to close disparities in graduation rates among racial and ethnic groups. 

Bahar-Cook said the answer lies in "making sure minority and underrepresented students get what they need to succeed."

She suggested looking for "creative economic solutions" geared toward supporting marginalized students, like partnering with diversity-focused nonprofit foundations or providing loans to financially struggling students.

Maday said disparities across racial groups in graduation rates may be remedied by professors reaching out to academically struggling students. 

"I hate to put it on professors, it’s not like they don’t have enough to do, but somehow, students that they can see by the test results are struggling … maybe those students are contacted by the university and encouraged to get the help they need."

Money

Balow and Stallworth were asked how to make MSU more affordable. 

Stallworth focused on MSU’s lagging state appropriation, saying that "as a former state legislator, I think I can be an asset to our team in terms of encouraging and working with the legislature to provide more funding."

But, Stallworth also said MSU has a responsibility to "manage the resources (it) has," and should stop wasting money on legal liability that could be avoided with better "management practices."

"Every large institution assumes that they'll have some lawsuits and settlements," he said. "The university does the same, but without question, the amounts we're spending on that are excessive and far beyond what we can afford."

Balow said he would support benchmarking MSU’s affordability against other institutions, pointing specifically to Purdue University, which has kept tuition rates flat for the last 13 years. 

"How do they do that?" he said. "I’d like to understand better, because it can be done. Not every college is the same, but we can learn a lot from each other."

Bahar-Cook and Maday were not asked by moderators specifically about how to make MSU more affordable, but were asked about "which investment priorities" they would "advocate for, whether in terms of divestment or new investments, to best serve MSU values and community needs."

Their answers suggested they see a returns-focused stewardship of the university’s endowment as one way to ensure the university keeps a steady revenue stream. 

"If we were to divest in the Israeli conflict, where do we draw that line?" Maday said. "Do we continue to divest when people are upset about climate change, do we divest there? Do we divest if animal activists don't like what's going on with PETA? I mean, there would be no end to that."

Bahar-Cook, who said she would like to be on the board’s committee on budget and finance if elected, gave a similar answer. 

"If the board … is constantly trying to move money and divest and invest and divest and invest, I don’t think we’ll be doing our primary job at the university, which is fiduciary responsibility."

Transparency

All candidates were asked how they would "remedy" the board’s often-fractured relationship to the administration and restore public faith in the board’s transparency. 

Bahar-Cook said to do those things, it’s important board members "understand their role," and avoid getting "too cozy" with the administration. (The board has been accused of meddling in the two previous administrations).

Stallworth said the key to restoring the public’s faith in the board’s transparency is ensuring that people "know where (board members) stand."

"I have a track record of being very direct, sometimes to my own detriment, but what I learned in the legislature is that what people want more than anything is just to know where you stand, what's going on."

Transparency has been a particular priority of Balow, who has characterized a perceived culture of secrecy on MSU’s board as a "green wall of silence."

"This is not Apple, or Microsoft, or the Ford Motor Company," he said. "You know, we are here to serve the people, and if people don't believe that we're honest dealers, and they think we're not doing what we should, that's a huge problem … That's a failure on a very basic level."

Balow also proposed increasing the board’s number of yearly public meetings. 

Public transit

All candidates were asked if they would support allocating more funding to support the university’s public transportation infrastructure, including installing heated bus shelters and additional buses to run in late afternoons and weekends. That question came up in both sessions during the section for questions submitted by MSU community members. 

While none of the candidates committed to more funding in that area, they all expressed interest in furthering discussions and looking for room in the budget for such improvements. 

"I’m interested in hearing more," Bahar-Cook said. "There might be some unique partnerships we could do with CATA or other local businesses that might be able to help fund that."

Stallworth said that as a former student who had to navigate campus during cold winters, he understands the concern, but cautioned that "we’ve gotta address these things from the standpoint of what are our resources and what are our priorities."

"Having heated bus shelters, obviously, is a comfort that we should try to make available," he said. "But again, the context is, if we want an affordable tuition rate, if we want an affordable housing rate, do we take our resources and invest them there first, or on transportation and other things?"