Scandal hit the upcoming student elections late Sunday, as Marcie Wing '06 and David Wolkoff '04 were given until 10 p.m. yesterday to remove all promotional posters for their respective campaigns. The two candidates have been sanctioned for alleged minor campaign-conduct infractions involving the misuse of promotional posters.
Wing, a candidate for 2006 Class Council Vice-President, and Wolkoff, a candidate for Student Assembly Vice-President, will no longer be allowed to campaign using posters around campus after violating campaign regulations.
Wing mass-printed campaign posters using Greenprint as opposed to printing them at a copy shop. According to the regulations of the Election Planning and Advisory Committee, the body that runs student government and Green Key elections, Class Council candidates are required to print posters at a copy store, so that they can be itemized and added to total campaign expenditures.
"I really regret it -- but I was absolutely unaware when I did it that it was against the rules, and I absolutely would not have done it if I had known it was against the rules," Wing said.
In Wolkoff's case, one of his friends -- though not an official supporter of his campaign -- hung five campaign posters and 10 additional Post-It notes spelling "WOLKOFF4VP" on a wall near Topside. Candidates are not allowed to hang more than one poster per wall or use signs that exceed the 11 by 17 inch size limit imposed by the EPAC.
Though Wolkoff himself did not hang the posters, Student Assembly candidates are responsible for the actions of their supporters.
Wing said her campaign would fully cooperate with the Council's decision to no longer allow her to use posters to advertise. She said instead she would "use more personal, direct methods" such as door-to-door campaigning.
Wing said she was contacted by Patrick Jou '04 from the Election Planning and Advisory Committee on Sunday evening.
"I'm not angry at all -- I have no hard feelings," Wing said.
"My roommate and I work at Topside and he is really busy kid and did not have time to work on my campaign," Wolkoff said. "He felt really badly, so he thought he would surprise me at work," he said.
Wolkoff said he that he had tried to appeal to the EPAC on the grounds that his roommate was not an official worker for his campaign, and that his roommate's actions did not at all negatively affect the campaigns of others, but it was to no avail.
"This is a really, really big detriment to my campaign -- in elections like these posters are so important," said Wolkoff.
Wolkoff said his campaign would now focus on public computers, mailings and door-to-door campaigning.
This is not the first time a candidate has violated EPAC regulations.
Last year, Lucas Nikkel '05, a campaign volunteer for current Student Body Vice-President Julia Hildreth '05 , was accused of campaign violations after sending mass negative e-mails about her opponent Stephanie Bonan '03.
