OPEN MIC STUDENT COUNCIL QUORUM

[medusae-x.livejournal.com]

((OOC: let the games begin. GO! (edit: Bingo Cards are done! Yay! Now go play.)) (second edit: This will be open for discussion until 10pm US CST, Friday, 10/7. If you want to chime in, do it before then. After that time, comments will be locked.)

"Hello and welcome to the Open Mic Student Council Quorum. This is going to be a cross between a Crossfire event, a debate, and a party. We want you to get to know your Student Council candidates - all of them - better. A lot better. To that purpose, we've invited all of them here tonight. However, as this was not a mandatory event, we don't have a roster yet of who will show up. Feel free to write your questions in, we'll make sure they all get them whether they show tonight or not.

Here's how tonight is going to work:

1) Each Student Council Candidate will be asked 5 questions from the quorum directors (that's us), and they will have 1 minute to answer the question to the best of their ability. We'll be keeping score and awarding points for how accurately each question is answered, as well as style and delivery. At the end of the night, the representative with the most points will win a prize.

2) When the 5 questions have been answered, the floor will be opened to the audience for the Crossfire section - to ask the Candidates anything they want. HOWEVER, the questions must be on topic. Questions phrased with vulgar or offensive language, or questions about personal lifestyle choices or habits will be striken - and the asker will be asked to leave. So phrase your questions carefully. We're here to learn things and have fun.

3) The Candidates may ask each other questions in the Crossfire section. Feel free to go head to head over your issues. Well, verbally, anyway.

4) I mentioned fun, and to that effect, we have Buzzword Bingo going. Each of you was handed a set of Buzzword Bingo Cards and a pencil as you entered. Here's how it works: Each card has the name of a Candidate on it, and many, many buzzwords pulled directly from the debate last night. When you note any Candidate using a buzzword in any of their answers, tick it off on their Bingo Card. The first player to declare a Bingo wins a doorprize. The first player to get Bingos on more than five cards gets the grand prize.

The Prizes:
Single Card Bingo: First 12 people will each win 1lb boxes of chocolates from Wonka's Sweet Shop
Two Card Bingo: First person to get one wins a $15 gift certificate to Deb's Diner and Retro Store
Three Card Bingo: First person to get one wins a $30 gift certificate to Deb's Diner and Retro Store
Four Card Bingo: First person to get one wins a $50 gift certificate to The Emporium
Grand Prize: a $100 gift certificate to Red's Tattoos


((OOC NOTE: For the sake of our sanity, here's how it's going to run.

The "(Candidate name) Questions" threads will be locked to only the Candidates - please, no ooc comments or non-Candidate posting in them.

The "(Candidate name) Crossfire" section will be open to any IC comments. Please direct your questions to the Candidates in their threads.

Please keep all OOC comments in the "OOC" thread" - we ask because we'll be cutting and pasting from the other threads as the night goes on.

This post will remain the same - a secondary post will be linked for people who want to catch up without scanning a billion comments.

If you have questions for the moderator - and for right now, that's me - there will be a seperate post in my non-comm journal and you can ask them there. I am turning email notification for this thread off.))

Comments

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[emo-padawan.livejournal.com]

Anakin stared at her for a while, then finally walked over.

"I got your email about Phoebe," he said without preamble. "I don't understand why you think someone being associated with JA would be enough to make them unfit for office." He gestured towards the candidates. "They seem to be just as qualified as everyone else."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[chasingangela]

Angela overhears this and swivels in her seat. She hadn't planned on confronting Maia, but if someone else was going to... "It's not even just the JA," she says. "It's the referring to some strong, bright, independent women as "pets" of another student. Whatever your issue with Parker is, you didn't need to trash Rory, Elizabeth, Alanna and Anya by implication."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

I do not recall trashing anyone nor calling anyone by name Angela. I simply stated that Phoebe was not a Pet of Parker, meaning someone who is not endorsed by Parker. I did not insult the J.A. while we are on the topic. It was a slogan stating that Phoebe is with neither group so please do not assume that I am trashing anyone when their names were not even on the slogan nor were they implied to be. *Maia's tone is not unkind but there is a finality to it.*

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[chasingangela]

Angela shrugs. "Whatever you say," she says. "But I think that if you polled the student body, at least 90 percent would read it the same way Anakin and I did."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Maia looks at Angela with no emotion on her face. "Then I am very sorry that they do not understand the presentation of a candidate who is independent of the two major 'political' parties of this school."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[chasingangela]

"Okay, but ..." Angela pauses, unable to believe she is getting this involved in a discussion about student politics. "I know Phoebe. She's smart, she's loving, she's dedicated, she's compassionate. And if you said that about her, you might get some votes. Saying she's not part of the JA or Parker-related -- which is basically all your email said to distinguish her, since Draco and Six are students and individuals too -- is implying that anyone who is part of those parties is bad in some way."

Angela looks at the other girl. "I can't believe you don't understand that as a campaign manager."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Maia stares at Angela in total confusion of how a simple slogan was misrepresented. Maia shakes her head. "Phoebe approved the slogan. She saw it the same way I did. If people assume that just because Phoebe is not associated with a group they are bad, then maybe the fault lies with the clubs themselves and not with a stupid slogan Phoebe and I thought up when we were half drunk and exhausted."

Maia rubs her head and looks at Angela. "I'm sorry Angela, this is stupid to get upset over. Its a dumb campaign slogan that was obviously not taken well in the test email and so will not be presented again. I have had a very long day, Sara almost knocked herself in to coma and I am thinking I have a very long night ahead of her because I have to make sure that she does not slip into a coma from the concussion. So please, don't be angry or upset with me over something Phoebe and I came up with when we were drunk."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[chasingangela]

Angela shrugs, letting it drop. "Sorry you had a rough day," she says,. "And I hope Ms. Sidle is all right. I didn't mean to yell at you, I was just trying to figure out what point you were trying to make."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Maia sighs and stares at the candidates again and then looks at Angela. "Thank you I am sure she'll be fine. And to be honest the point we were trying to make" Maia pauses and then sighs again "I don't care anymore about the point we were trying to make. I want this damn thing over with I am sick of it."

Maia stares again then looks back at Angela. "Did you get a dress yet for homecoming?"

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[emo-padawan.livejournal.com]

Anakin furrowed his brow. "I'm a member of the Junior Achievers, and as far as I remember, there was never anything put out that would say that the beings from JA were running as a group. They are in JA because they are ambitious. They are running for office because they are ambitious. I don't see the two being connected in any other way."

He looked at Angela. "And if you were trying to run a candidate as merely being separate from the parties, why didn't you include Batsh*t Insane? Or refer to Parker's group by their formal name of the Hottest Ticket in Town?"

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Maia sighs audibly and turns away from the boy who seemed to be pushing her into an argument she did not have the time for.

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[emo-padawan.livejournal.com]

Anakin watched Maia turn away and wondered why she wouldn't respond to his perfectly reasonable questions.

He shrugged and turned his attention back to Angela.

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[chasingangela]

"Well yeah, that's true too," Angela says. "Maybe it's supposed to be obvious Phoebe isn't Batshit Insane, or something." She's relaxing. She hasn't gotten to talk to Anakin much, but she doesn't get the creepy vibe from him she gets from some of the other JA members.

"Oh, and you have to tell me about where you're from sometime. I don't even know what a Padawan is."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[emo-padawan.livejournal.com]

Anakin smiled at Angela. "Padawan's our version of student." He pulled at his braid. "It explains the stupid haircut."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[chasingangela]

Angela appraises the braid. "Oh. I thought you were, like, a refugee from a New Wave band, or something. I mean, not that it looks awful or anything, just kind of ... " Angela isn't sure how to finish that sentence, so she settles on smiling and hoping it's clear she didn't mean to insult him.

"What were you studying? Beka told me you like to fly."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[emo-padawan.livejournal.com]

Anakin looked at the other girl. "It's this kind of thing that makes me hate politics. Does it always have to degenerate into mudslinging and name-calling?"

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[chasingangela]

"It seems like it does. Even for a stupid student government office."

She sighs. "Or maybe it's just this school. I don't remember elections at my school last year being this intense."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[emo-padawan.livejournal.com]

Anakin smiled. "We didn't have anything like this where I was. If the Padawans tried to change the way the Council was doing things by forming a committee?" He laughed. "Yeah. Not going to happen."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Maia stares at the boy. "I would have to agree with you but seeing as how I have done neither of those things, I would ask that you actually look at the presentation of the facts before getting upset about it and speaking to me about it."

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Maia raises an eyebrow. "Nowhere in my email does it say that I think anyone who is running is unfit. It was a slogan to state and represent the students who are not part of the J.A. and to let people know that there are candidates other then the ones associated with the J.A. and with Parker. So Mr. Skywalker I honestly don't understand how anyone would assume I am trashing the J.A. by simply stating a candidate is not a part of that group.

Maia turns her attention back to the debate dismissing any further conversation that would lead to an argument.

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

Beka smiles warmly at Anakin. She knows that people are asking questions about Phoebe's campaign strategy, and it bothers her that Anakin or Angelus for that matter would think she or Phoebe intended to demonize the people they left their ticket to protect. She hopes Anakin knows what a high regard she holds him in, and plans to talk with him about it at the first possible opportunity.

Re: STUDENT CHATTER

[emo-padawan.livejournal.com]

Anakin raised an eyebrow at Beka, smiled and turned back to Angela.

Re: STUDENT CHATTER (locked to Valentine)

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Maia nods at Beka's arrival. "Been a bit of an upset over the emails. Going to regroup with Phoebe tomorrow about the results. It was not good overall. I think next time we're drunk and think a campaign idea is a good one.. we should not use it"

Re: STUDENT CHATTER (locked to Valentine)

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

Beka nods. "Yeah. Drunken slogan-making, not a good idea. We'll work it out. I've asked Pheebs a few questions that should help her explain. So far no one has nailed me with that question. If it comes up, do you have any advice?"

Re: STUDENT CHATTER (locked to Valentine)

[maias-notebook.livejournal.com]

Answer fair, honest and quick. Dont shy away from it if they do. you have nothing to hide so don't act like you do. You'll do fine.