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(Hie Satlu (Tar Mtd Our Town Officials discuss future downtown development. See Page 3 Experts Discuss Feasibility of Candidates' Platforms By Philissa Cramer AND RUTHIE WARSHENBROT Staff Writers With only one day remaining before the student body president runoff elec tion, candidates Jen Daum and Will McKinney have highlighted their top five platform goals. And although both candidates claim their platforms are 100 percent feasible, officials associated with these platform priorities have affirmed their potential but in some cases have questioned whether they are realistic or necessary. Jen Daum ■ Work with Chapel Hill and Carrboro police departments to make The Evolution of the Quest to Become SBP Former SBPs Review Old, New Tactics By Lalren Rippey Assistant Features Editor During the past four weeks, student body president candidates have made their presence known. Campaign workers have flooded the Pit, and candidates’ fliers have been taped and stapled all over campus. For years, candidates have used standard methods of campaigning - posters, Pit sits and residence hall vis its. But recently e-mails, Web sites and multimedia have been incorporated. Changes in technology have made the election process quicker and more efficient -but also more regulated. The Internet has become an influ ential campaigning tool, said Lee Conner, former Graduate and Professional Student Federation presi dent and a 1996 student body presi dent candidate. “Prior to the Internet, candidates focused on paper - posters and handbills -and word of mouth,” he said. “Now technology is anew channel that allows people to be much more creative.” Web sites are one way candidates can take advantage of new technology to spread their messages to voters. “Many of this year’s candidates campaigned with innovative online movies that are both funny and catchy,” he said. But former student body presidents say campaigning through technology isn’t enough. “Person-to-person con tact is the way to go,” said Paul Parker, 1984-85 student body president. “The winner is the one who meets the most people, who has the most exposure.” Parker said his most effective strate gy was canvassing residence halls twice. “Elections are really hand-to-hand com bat,” he said. “We had bloody knuckles from knocking on doors. We’d use elbows, shoes, whatever it took to not have to use our sore hands.” Robert Powelljr., 1966-67 student body president, also focused on mak ing his face familiar. “Door-to-door campaigning was fairly unregulated back then,” he said. “We weren’t See CAMPAIGNS, Page 4 DTH to Host Debate for SBP Candidates Tonight Staff Report The Daily Tar Heel will host a student body president runoff debate at 7 p.m. today in 111 Carroll Hall in preparation for Tuesday’s runoff election. In addition to making opening and closing statements, student body president candidates Jen Daum and Will McKinney will be The now, the here, through which all future plunges into the past James Joyce m rounds to sorority houses, make extra rounds dur ing vacation times to off-cam pus apartments and houses and place Code Blue call boxes in strategic areas. Jane Cousins, spokeswoman for the Chapel Hill Police Department, said off-campus student locations already are Candidate Jen Daum said she wants to work with Chapel Hill and Carrboro police to improve safety. patrolled, and Capt. Joel Booker of the Carrboro Police Department said apart- ft iM vv-W PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KARA ARNDT Throughout the history of the student body presidency, the nature of candidates' platforms and campaign tactics have adapted to the times. Both have become more electronic and Web-oriented. Platform Basics Endure Through Years By Sarah Sanders Features Editor Tuition, parking, campus safety - all issues on student body president candidates’ plat forms this year. And last year. And 15,25, even 50 years ago. These three basic ideas have been at the core of student body president candidates’ platforms for almost as long as the office has existed. But as the student body has grown, new types of issues have been added to candidates’ platforms and remain there year after year, even if little progress is made on them. John Sanders, former student body presi dent, said his 1950 campaign focused on issues such as tuition, faculty-student advising, improving student leadership and having stu dents’ voices heard - issues that continue to dominate candidates’ platforms today. The biggest difference in campus politics is campaigning methods, not platform sub stance, Sanders said. “These are always issues of concern to stu dents,” he said. But in addition to larger issues that are answering questions presented by DTH edi tors and later by members of the audience. “I think the debate provides a unique oppor tunity for the campus community to really see the differences between the two remaining can didates before they make a final decision about who they are going to vote for on Tuesday,” said Katie Hunter, editor of the DTH. In the Feb. 12 student elections, no candi Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Let Us Know The DTH is seeking members for its Community Feedback Board. Applications available in Union 104. ■FIB ment complexes already are checked when stu dents leave for vacations. Cousins said research would have to be done to analyze the need for the call boxes. ■ Recreate the Student Advisory Committee to the UNC Board of Thistees. Student Body Candidate Will McKinney said he wants to establish a student director of minority affairs. President Justin Young said this committee has existed before and could be restarted. directly germane to students, student body president candidates also have learned to include in their platforms the smaller details that affect students’ everyday quality of life. Known to campus politicos as “bike rack issues” because of an early 1990s push to increase the number of bike racks in Chapel Hill, these issues are vital to any successful platform, said Lee Conner, former Graduate and Professional Student Federation president and 1996 student body president candidate. “You have to talk about those philosophical issues like tuition and parking,” Conner said. “But you also have to tell people about the smaller, practical things you will accomplish.” Some of these issues become as standard as the large-scale issues, Conner said, citing exam ples like ending Saturday reading days and lowering textbook prices at Student Stores. “There are buzzwords people pick up on,” he said. “Some change, some don’t.” Conner said some of these hot topics stay around for a while because it takes the work of several administrations to tackle the problems. “There are always some (issues) that carry over from year to year,” he said. “It usually date garnered the 50 percent of the votes nec essary to win. Daum and McKinney received the most votes, outpacing candidates Fred Hashagen, Bennett Mason and Brad Overcash and several write-in candidates. Hunter said supporters of the losing candi dates as well as curious students will benefit from today’s debate. “(The debate is beneficial) both for people Thank God UNC pulls out 95-85 win against Seminoles. See Page 10 Volume 109, Issue 160 But BOT Chairman Tim Burnett said recreating this committee is redundant because the student body president sits on the BOT. Burnett said any input students want on the BOT should be channeled through the student body president. ■ Double federally funded work study jobs in the public service field. Provost Robert Shelton said this goal’s feasibility would depend on how successful UNC and the student body president are in making a strong case when lobbying for money. “We’d have to work with the federal government to get into that program,” he said. ■ Ensure drop-off care facilities in the new Student Services building. Mikisha Brown, president of the Graduate and Professional Student takes a few years to get things accomplished.” Free Internet access for off-campus students, for example, has been a point of interest since the 1996 student body president election. Expanding bus services while reducing costs for University students also has been a feature of platforms since the early 1980s. But Conner emphasized that progress is possible. “I think there’s a lot of things people do get accomplished. The classic example is Brad Matthews and getting the clocks in every classroom,” he said. In addition to pledging to voice student concern about tuition and parking issues and to work to improve students’ quality of life, student body president candidates historically have tried to act as a sort of social conscience for the campus. Social issues are a standard component of student body president candidates’ platforms. Each decade has its own examples. In 1962, candidate Larry Phelps cam paigned on the national issues of integration and disarmament. See PLATFORMS, Page 4 who were behind a candidate who didn’t make it to the runoff and for the students who might still be undecided about which candi date they want to support,” she said. “I would encourage all students to take advantage of this opportunity and come out to make an informed decision about which of the two candidates will more effectively con vey the student voice next year.” ♦ Federation, said the drop-off care facilities are already being negotiated by Sue Kitchen, vice chancellor for student affairs. ■ Support recommendations of the provost’s LGBTQ Climate Planning Committee. Shelton said he thinks it is too early to pledge support for the committee’s rec ommendations, as they have not been finalized yet. Will McKinney ■ Constitutionally mandated stu dent director of minority affairs. Young said the creation of this posi tion would be possible because student body presidents have the power to establish any Cabinet position. Mark Townsend, speaker of Student Weather Today: Sunny; H 53, L 23 Tuesday: Mostly Sunny; H 61, L 35 Wednesday: Rain; H 62, L 42 Congress, said the procedure for making such a position constitutionally mandat ed is straightforward and that he thinks the legislation would be supported. ■ Expanded on- and off-campus Internet access. Marian Moore, vice chancellor for information technology, said that even though the expanded off-campus and wireless access is technologically possi ble, it would be “highly expensive." “These are all things I’d love to do for our students here at Carolina, but the funding isn’t available for them.” ■ Monthly student government/ administration safety walks. Derek Poarch, director of the See ISSUES, Page 4 Elections Board Levies Largest Fine of Season The violations, which stemmed from accounts of fliers misrepresenting another campaign, have prompted a financial audit. By Daniel Thigpen Assistant University Editor In the Board of Elections’ largest punitive action this campaign season, senior class president candidate Tinu Akintola and her running mate David Mclntosh were fined S3O on Sunday for elections code violations related to last-minute campaign efforts. Emily Margolis, chairwoman of the Board of Elections, said Akintola and Mclntosh’s campaign was cited for misrepresenting an election issue and defacing campaign materials. The board also called for a complete financial audit of Akintola’s campaign. Margolis said senior class president candidate Paymon Rouhanifard filed a complaint Friday about newly posted fliers from Akintola and Mclntosh’s campaign. Rouhanifard said Sunday that he went to the elections board to claim the new fliers misrepresented - through a direct play off of his and running mate Robert Albright’s cam paign slogan - the issue of making students’ voices heard. Rouhanifard and Albright’s campaign fliers state, “Paymon and Rob, Make it Count,” while Akintola and Mclntosh’s new fliers stated, “Make it Count More! Tinu and David." See VIOLATIONS, Page 4 Violating the Rules Emily Margolis, chairwoman of the Board of Elections, cited seven campaign violations that have occurred since campaigning began Jan. 22. The violations represented breaches of the Elections Code. 0 Violation: Illegally formatted e-mails By: Will McKinney Date of Violation: Jan. 27 Action Taken: A $lO fine 0 Violation: Illegally formatted e-mails By: Fred Hashagen Date of Violation: Jan. 30 Action Taken: A S2O fine 0 Violation: Misuse of technology By: Will McKinney Date of Violation: Feb. 10 Action Taken: A $5 fine 0 Violation: Conflict of interest —a campaign worker failed to resign from Student Body President Justin Young's Cabinet By: Will McKinney Date of Violation: Jan. 27 Action Taken: The campaign worker was removed 0 Violation: Placed campaign materials under doors on the first floor of Ehringhaus Residence Hall By: Kris Willett Date of Violation: Feb. 12 Action Taken: A warning was given 0 Violation: Misrepresentation of election issue By: Tinu Akintola and David Mclntosh Date of Violation: Feb. 17 Action Taken: A $lO fine 0 Violation: Defacement of campaign materials By: Tinu Akintola and David Mclntosh Date of Violation: Feb. 17 Action Taken: A S2O fine SOURCE: UNC BOARD OF ELECTIONS rv
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 18, 2002, edition 1
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