Since March 25, students throughout the grades have been campaigning for one of the 12 spots on the SU board. With the help of music videos, posters and the occasional meme, 19 students have landed their name on the 2019 election ballot.
Prior to running for a position, every candidate had to submit an election nomination packet which included a form outlining their academic standings, a declaration establishing their commitment to the student government, and a list of student signatures, all which were gathered by March 15. These nominations then went through the Election Committee headed by Coordinator of Student Activities Sarah Loew. On March 25, the formal campaigning finally began. When campaigning for a position, candidates had to be mindful of rules: a limit of $25 spent on campaigning, a size limit for posters, and a ban on baked goods, as well as inappropriate or negative content regarding another candidate.
Campaigning for an SU position is no easy task. Senior Class President candidate Maria Arsenie said, “The hardest part was actually finding the time to campaign. I am a part of a lot of extracurriculars including the Debate Club, the Student Wellness Team, and Wrestling, so I had to manage all of those along with campaigning.” Treasurer candidate Julia Jinu added, “[Some] of the harder parts of running include coming up with ideas that will attract voters and being consistent with your ideas.” Traditionally, many candidates use posters as an effective means of getting their name out to the student body. In addition to that, many heavily rely on social media to explain their goals and the policies they’d push for if they are elected. Freshman-sophomore Class President candidate Ashley Wu said, “To campaign I first set up an Instagram so I had a platform where I was able to easily and efficiently communicate to my classmates. On Instagram I would post about my ideas and keep people updated on the election.” SU President candidate and current Junior Class President Annlin Su said, “Generally, my social media campaign consists of memes for the days when students don’t feel like reading a lot of text, endorsements, my qualifications, and my experiences.” Annlin is one of many other students who ran unopposed this election season but continued to participate in the campaign regardless. She stated, “Even though many people told me that it didn’t matter so much since I’m running unopposed, I really wanted to show my classmates that I’m very serious about this position.”
The Candidate’s Assembly, the last major campaigning event during which the 19 candidates made a speech to the student body, occurred on May 14. Students vote on March 15 through their Townsend emails, and the results will be announced May 16.
