The 2026-2027 Undergraduate Student Government (USG) election is more competitive than it has been in years. On May 1, students were given the opportunity to see the candidates present their campaigns at the USG presidential and vice presidential debate.
The debate was hosted in partnership with The Denver Clarion and moderated by Editor-in-Chief Alyssa Avila. The event was also livestreamed on The Denver Clarion’s Instagram.
This year’s election consists of three tickets. Aya Saad-Masri and Michela Schenk are running for president and vice president respectively. They’re up against presidential candidate Owen Mantelli and vice presidential candidate Ben Merson, as well as Madeleine Dierking, running for president alongside vice presidential candidate Justin Walker.
Saad-Masri and Schenk are running on their A.D.V.O.C.A.T.E. platform, aimed at building campus-wide partnerships between students, faculty members and administrators to create a more transparent and collaborative DU. In their campaign, they are highlighting what they see as a disconnect between communities on campus, particularly for marginalized and commuter students.
The Mantelli and Merson ticket is campaigning on improving the student experience at DU through their three pillars: spirit, wins and feedback. They emphasize the importance of creating attainable goals for the incoming year. These pillars have materialized in their successful efforts to move winter quarter move-in from Sunday to Saturday for the 2026-2027 school year.
Dierking and Walker’s platform is focused on their own three pillars: transparency, advocacy and pride. Dierking has been a part of USG every year she’s been at DU. She highlighted her efforts to get an ice cream machine in the dining hall. While Walker has not served on USG, if elected, he plans to leverage the connections he has built in various departments across DU to cultivate a successful tenure as vice president.
The debate kicked off with a brief statement from each candidate as they introduced themselves, their platforms and their goals.
The first question asked how candidates planned to ensure student voices lead to tangible policy changes. All candidates noted that transparency throughout the university would be vital to creating a tight-knit community where students feel less separated from faculty and administrators.
The Mantelli-Merson and Dierking-Walker tickets both spoke on the importance of directly connecting students to university leadership, and Saad-Masri went into more detail about reviving leadership roundtables to connect student leaders to administrators.
Vice presidential candidates had two questions levied at them directly, giving them the chance to share their perspective and allow students to hear how they will be influencing USG, and therefore life on campus. Schenk is currently studying abroad, but participated via pre-recorded videos that were shown at the debate.
One such question was about making Senate meetings, which are run by the vice president, more visible to the broader student body.
Merson highlighted how communication could be improved through a “spark notes” style recap of meetings and decisions. While Walker spotlighted the importance of directly communicating with clubs and student organizations to paint a more transparent image of how USG makes its decisions. Schenk underlined the importance of strengthening USG’s social media presence, crediting the platforms for keeping her informed during her year studying abroad.
DU’s financial situation became one underlying theme of the debate, with multiple questions being asked on the topic. The candidates discussed how they planned to address the impacts of anticipated budget cuts within the constraints of USG.
When asked about funding for student organizations, Saad-Masri, current chair of USG’s student organizations committee, described how USG should make it a priority to fund events held on campus due to their ability to foster a stronger sense of community at DU, as opposed to allocating funds for students to attend off-campus events.
Dierking noted a possibility of exploring alternative sources for funding, such as corporate sponsorships. While Walker highlighted how a more robust alumni presence on campus could increase donations to student organizations.
Mantelli and Merson focused on the costly tuition at DU, describing how while they don’t believe they can influence tuition costs, they can improve the student experience to reflect the price.
Merson compared DU’s nearly ninety thousand dollar cost of attendance, which includes room and board, to an iPad Pro. Merson stated when you buy an iPad Pro, you expect the “pro experience.” Similarly, when you pay nearly ninety thousand dollars for a private education, you expect there to be an enhanced experience.
There was an additional time allotted for questions from both in-person and virtual audience members. As the event drew to a close, one student asked a question regarding how candidates planned to uplift the voices of marginalized communities on campus.
Saad-Masri emphasized the importance of highlighting affinity groups. Saad-Masri, a member of the Muslim Student Alliance, described how important it has been to her experience at DU, especially given that DU is a predominantly white institution. She described how a key part of their platform looks to give these students and organizations a voice.
Walker echoed this sentiment, stating that his experience as a member of the Native Student Alliance has allowed him to see the importance of collaborating with affinity groups on campus.
Mantelli and Merson quickly addressed the fact that unlike their competitors, they are both white men. However, they look to properly represent all students through engagement with multicultural groups and USG’s diversity committee, which they’ve worked closely with. Ultimately, their strategy is to uplift existing leadership for underrepresented students.
The debate gave students a glance at what they can expect if each candidate were to be elected. While the candidates agreed on many subjects, including the need for better transparency and increased cohesion among the DU community, their plans to implement these changes differ.
Polls open on May 4 at 8 a.m. and will remain open until May 10 at 11:59 p.m. All students have received Qualtrics Forms at their university email addresses. You can watch the full debate livestream on The Denver Clarion’s Instagram here.
