Nominees for the Legion of Black Collegians executive board debated on Wednesday in the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center.

They discussed their platforms and answered questions from current executive board members and general body members.

Each candidate was allowed 2-3 minutes to present his or her platform, followed by questions from the election committee. The committee included current president Greer Relphorde, current vice president Cameron Grant and adviser Jonathan McElderry.

Relphorde said she came up with some questions ahead of time and some on the spot.

Most candidates are running unopposed, but everyone participated in the debate.

Presidential and vice presidential positions must be filled by current executive board members, according to the LBC constitution. Freshmen Action Team Chairwoman Marnae Chavers and Finance Chairman Paanii Annan are running as a slate for president and vice president, respectively.

The two gave a presentation outlining their goals and what they want to focus on next year.

“LBC was founded in the ‘60s, and it’s 2013,” Chavers said. “The needs of black students have changed.”

The pair has plans to encourage participation by umbrella organizations in LBC, as well as organizations that are not a part of LBC, such as the Women’s Center, Chavers said.

Both said they are excited about their plans for next year.

Relphorde said more people ran last year. Two people ran for president last year, which brought a lot of people to the debate.

In the fall, a change was made to the constitution regarding how umbrella organizations can apply for funding from LBC. Steven Blakley, candidate for finance chairman, was asked about these changes but was unsure exactly what they were.

Political Action Chairwoman Cynthia Spires said Blakley probably wasn’t informed about the change, as it was passed during the first two meetings of the year. She said Blakley was correct on some points of the legislation, however.

Blakley said he thinks transparency in the budget is very important. He wants to make sure each organization knows how much money they have available and how to use all of it effectively.

Sophomore Vernon Driskell is running for political action chairman. Driskell said he is interested because he loves politics. He plans to create a committee to educate minority students about politics.

Spires said she felt it was like pulling teeth to get a committee together this year, though Driskell said he knows one person already who is interested, and he plans to reach out to other political science majors.

Curtis Taylor, Jr. is the candidate for activities chairman. Taylor said current Activities Chairman Jeffery Perkins understands that “black love is self love,” which is this year’s Black Love Week theme.

“As an umbrella organization, if you don’t love yourself, we can’t teach you much,” Taylor said.

Taylor said it is imperative to partner with the umbrella organizations to help increase attendance at LBC events.

Celeste Tyler is running for executive secretary. Tyler said she is outgoing and involved on campus, though this is her first time to participate in LBC.

“The most important duty is to make sure African-American students on campus are aware of LBC,” Tyler said.

Two candidates are competing to chair the communications committee. It is the only position with more than one candidate running. Lechae Mottley and Jordan Williams are the candidates.

Williams said he plans to improve the website and use Facebook, Twitter and other avenues to involve students. He also wants to use more visual representation for the organization, such as fliers and videos.

Mottley’s campaign motto is “root strong,” and she says she plans to use communication to ensure LBC has a strong community. She said she plans to focus on the black student yearbook and LBC newsletters. She also wants to get people more involved in the Big XII conference.

Communications Chairwoman Bridget Botchway Bradley said she feels both candidates for her position are highly qualified and she endorses both of them.

“They both have a leg up on one another,” Botchway Bradley said. “It’s almost like you can’t lose.”

Elections are open to all students April 8-10 at vote.missouri.edu.