The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Guam Chapter, together with the University of Guam Social Work Student Alliance, will be hosting a Senatorial Candidate Forum on Social Issues from 6 p.m.–8:30 p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 18, at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Lecture Hall on the UOG campus.

The purpose of the event is to amplify the voices of the senatorial candidates in an effort to begin discussions on critical human service issues.

According to the NASW, “Social workers understand social problems and know human relations, and the commitment to improving the quality of life brings a vital perspective to public decision-making. Social workers across the country serve in a range of political institutions, from school boards to city and county offices and state legislatures. There are eight social workers in the U.S. House and Senate.”

Candidates invited to participate in the forum were selected based on their answers to a questionnaire developed by the social work students to assess candidates’ positions on current, relevant issues. Candidates’ responses were then scored for congruency with the social work position on these issues. Candidates with 75% or greater congruency were invited to participate in this forum. They are:

• Jenei Aguon
• Jermaine Alerta
• Lasia Casil
• Sabina Perez
• Clynt Ridgell
• Amanda Shelton
• Kelly Marsh-Taitano
• Therese Terlaje

The questionnaire addressed the candidates’ ideas and positions on issues including:

• instituting sustainable land use policies in Tumon to preserve the environment and natural resources; protecting the natural and cultural resources in Litekyan (Ritidian); privatizing Guam’s public transit system;
• increasing access to local services for veterans on Guam; the Department of Defense’s Guam Military Build-Up plan; Bill 291-34, which proposes the ability to change sex designation on a birth certificate; creating and prioritizing more government-funded social work jobs to address key social issues such as suicide, family violence, and homelessness; and deportation of non-U.S. citizens convicted of violating Guam laws.

At this forum, candidates will be given the opportunity to discuss their positions on the aforementioned issues as well as their strategies for moving Guåhan into the future.

For more information, contact:

Kelly Unsiog: kunsiog@gmail.com

Dr. Tressa Diaz: (671)735-0335, diazt@triton.uog.edu

Tricia Lizama: (671) 488-5073, tlizama@triton.uog.edu