Kenji Sugahara '95 urged Student Assembly presidential and vice presidential candidates last night to avoid the negative campaign tactics that plagued the last two elections.
Sugahara arranged the meeting at the beginning of this week in an effort to focus the campaign more on issues than on dirty politics and squabbling. Campaigning for the April 12 election begins next Tuesday.
Sugahara told the other candidates that a negative campaign would further damage the public image of the Assembly, which students already see as dominated by petty politics.
Presidential candidates Jim Brennan '96, Jeremy Katz '95, Danielle Moore '95 and Sugahara were at the meeting. The fifth presidential candidate, Caleb Scott '97, did not attend.
Alex Morgan '95 was the only vice presidential candidate at the meeting. Sugahara said Rukmini Sichitiu '95 and Steve Fagell '95, the other two candidates, could not be reached.
All the candidates at the meeting said they agreed that the campaign should be positive.
"It's the first time the people running have hung out with each other before," Katz said. "It's hard to sling mud at people you're friends with."
The meeting had a very light tone, with candidates discussing the possibility of having a party together after the election was over.
"Nasty campaigning is for national politics, not campus politics," Brennan said.
Controversy swirled around last year's Assembly elections.
Candidates Nicole Artzer '94 and Stewart Shirasu '94 violated election guidelines by campaigning early. Artzer later accused Shirasu of sending a slanderous message to her boyfriend from the BlitzMail account of a student who never matriculated.
Shirasu resigned after winning the election amid a storm of criticisms. He was accused of overstepping the $150 spending limit on the campaign and swindling from Gnomon Copy.
Two years ago, much of the campaign rhetoric centered around attacks and counterattacks between candidates Andrew Beebe '93 and Steve Costalas '94.
Director of Student Activities Tim Moore said he has not heard any complaints of wrong-doing this year. Moore is the head of the Election Advisory Committee, a group of students and administrators responsible for overseeing student elections.
