While the spotlight shines on Student Assembly presidential and vice presidential candidates, the people behind the scenes, the campaign managers and volunteers, bear much of the burden of campaign season.
In a typical year, more than 50 students go to work campaigning for their favorite Assembly candidate.
Most campaign managers said they have spent one or two hours a day promoting their candidate, but others have worked longer hours. Dave Parker '00, who is managing sophomore Dave Altman's vice presidential campaign, said he spends a minimum of three hours a day preparing for the elections.
Besides helping Altman with posters and strategies, Parker said he has organized debates and kept his eye on other campaigns.
"There is so much to do with informing the voters," Parker said.
Khalid Osbourne-Roberts '98, who assists presidential candidate Unai Montes-Irueste '98 with his write-in campaign, said his work behind the scenes is sometimes frustrating.
"You aren't running yourself, you are answering on his behalf and no one cares about you," he said. "There is not anything in it for you, you do it because you think he can win."
He said he has donated an hour or two every day since Montes-Irueste joined the race, working on slogans, posters and strategies and "making sure he gets to whatever he needs to get to."
Montes-Irueste is not only busy with his own campaign, but he is also managing the vice presidential write-in campaign of Nahoko Kawakyu '99.
Kawakyu's "campaign is a joy to manage," Montes-Irueste said. "She impresses me -- one-on-one, no one is more attentive and dynamic."
Montes-Irueste said helping Kawakyu with her campaign has given him an even greater incentive to run a better campaign for himself. "I know that something that I say or do can help or hurt her," he said.
Some candidates have more than one or two people working on their campaigns. Assembly presidential candidates Frode Eilertsen '99 and Scott Jacobs '99 both have a number of people working behind the scenes.
Josh Green '00 has been working closely with Eilertsen on his campaign. He said Eilertsen has had as many as 30 people working on the campaign in some fashion.
"There are lots of ways to get involved," Green said. "One thing I really respect is [Eilertsen's] dependence on others. He knows to be a good leader he has to listen and incorporate their ideas into his own and represent the campus."
Green said his role is to make "sure that [Eilertsen] can get his thoughts out to the community" and to listen to his new ideas and strategies.
Jacobs' core campaign crew has included Sheryl Koval '99, Dave Gacioch '00 and Janelle Ruley '00.
They each spend one to two hours a day campaigning for Jacobs, giving feedback, putting up posters and preparing for and organizing speaking appearances and debates.
But Koval said Jacobs "is definitely running his campaign, we just help with the logistics and act as sounding boards."
"We are his main support system, his first Blitz list," Ruley said.
All this background work, however, is not without its rewards. Having run a campaign, they know a great deal should they decide to enter campus politics themselves.
"I have definitely considered running in the future," Gacioch said. "Running a campaign as a freshman is very good experience for that."
