Candidates running for three Student Association offices and one DeKalb City Council position addressed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Monday night.

Candidates for SA president include incumbent Paul Middleton, Eric Grice and Abe Andrzejewski.

Middleton said one of the topics he is most interested in is the possible elimination of the Board of Regents. “We don’t know what student representation will be with a new governing board right now,” he said. “The Regents have been instrumental in combatting the IBHE and we need to continue to have that power.”

Grice said an issue he is concerned about is the budgeting of dollars by the SA to student organizations.

“Funding for many student organizations has either been cut or debated about being cut,” he said. “We need to make sure those organizations will continue to be funded because they are performing valuable tasks for the community.”

Andrzejewski said it is important to promote programs which create racial and cultural awareness on campus.

“I want to get input from groups like the NAACP and others and answer their questions and address their concerns,” he said.

Sixth Ward Aldermanic candidate Brad Strauss is running for the position which includes Lincoln, Neptune and Gilbert Residence Halls and the apartments on Lincoln Highway, Annie Glidden Road and Lucinda Avenue.

“I think it is very important to make the DeKalb community and the university work together to make life better,” he said. “I also want to create a rapid response team to address any type of discrimination in DeKalb.”

Candidates for SA vice president include David Gonzalez and Anna Bicanic.

Gonzalez said minority representation and communication between the SA and NIU students are two issues he believes are important.

“Minorities have little representation on this campus and we need to create ways to better the communication process, specifically on how student organizations can get SA funding, ” he said.

Bicanic said it is important to open the SA to the student body and to apply her experience with working with student organizations to the vice presidential office.

“My involvement in student organizations isn’t the only important qualification involved,” she said. “It is my experience working with student organizations that is vital for the position.”

SA Treasurer candidate Virginia Welch said streamlining the spending of student fees is an important issue she will address if elected.