Campaigns for positions in student government hit a snag Friday morning when candidates awoke to find posters missing. Instead of prominently hanging from locations across campus, posters where found stuffed into trash cans.
Guardian
Posters from the Action and Students First slates were removed Thursday night, while New Wave slate posters remained. The effected slates repostered and collected evidence on Friday, although no complaint has been filed with the A.S. elections committee.
New Wave presidential candidate David Hansen denies any responsibility. He is not being investigated for any wrongdoing according to A.S. Elections Manager Jessica Williams.
“”No one on our slate was involved,”” Hansen said. “”No one told anyone to do it and we don’t think it helps anyone in general.””
His competition, however, is accusing New Wave members of the vandalism. In fact, Hansen, along with presidential candidates Jenn Brown of Students First and Colin Parent of the Action slate, drafted a joint statement condemning the vandalism and calling for a fair election.
“”We don’t support whoever was responsible for this incident,”” the statement read. “”This vandalism doesn’t help any candidate. We’d like this election to be as fair as possible.””
Phil Palisoul of the Together Our Goals Are Achievable slate and independent candidate Sam Shahmardi also condemned the vandalism.
Shahmardi also reported posters missing on Saturday morning, but it is unclear whether those were taken down by the A.S. elections committee as part of a revised posting policy.
Posters, both new and old, will be under closer scrutiny for safety concerns by the A.S. elections committee this week. Safety policy began being enforced Saturday at 8 a.m. after the A.S. elections committee was notified by the UCSD Bookstore of a complaint from a student regarding a falling “”San Diego Reader”” magazine that almost struck him.
UCSD Bookstore Operations Manager Al Lebotski explained, “”Some students got ‘Reader’ magazines and wadded them up into a log shape and attached them to the back of campaign posters with duct tape.””
There have been no complaints to the bookstore of anyone actually being injured, but there have been some close calls, Lebotski said.
While many candidates and students are concerned with posters, TOGAA has been concerned with the posting of its toga on the Sun God.
The A.S. elections committee is currently considering whether the toga is a violation of posting policy because it is unclear whether they received permission from the Stuart Art Collection to dress up the Sun God.
The TOGAA slate does not feel it has violated posting policy.
“”We turned in a receipt to A.S. for the toga and no one batted an eye at that,”” Palisoul said.
The A.S. elections committee may rule that the toga must be taken down if it feels that proper permission from the Stuart Art Collection was not granted, Williams said.
Marshall college was also concerned with posting policy last week when a closed hearing was held by the Marshall College Council elections committee to hear allegations brought against the Marshall Students First Slate by Marshall College Elections Manager Doriana Bailey last Thursday.
The slate was accused of violating posting policy because it failed to remove one of several posters hung on balconies that violated a new posting policy.
“”It wasn’t that we were trying to get free advertising, it was just an ‘oops we forgot one,'”” said Marshall Students First candidate Billy Ikosipentarhos.
The Marshall elections committee found that Marshall Students First had violated policy and issued them a formal warning.
“”It’s just a simple violation; it’s really nothing,”” Bailey said.
