Presidential hopefuls in this year's contest for Student Body President publicly began to gather support this weekend, as official campaigning began at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. The election will be held on May 7 and 8.
Petitions for candidacy in the presidential race, which were due to the Elections Planning and Advisory Committee on April 24, were submitted by Molly Bode '09, Travis Green '08, Raj Koganti '08, Carlos Mejia '08, Nova Robinson '08 and Jaromy Siporen '08.
Bode, however, is considering withdrawal from the race, citing schedule constraints.
"I still have not decided whether I want to be on all next year," Bode said. "I haven't had the full Dartmouth experience of being abroad."
Bode said she would make her final decision about this year's race by Tuesday. If she decides not to seek the presidency this year, Bode says she will definitely run in next year's campaign.
The contest for Student Body Vice President has already seen one dropout, as David Imamura '10 removed his name from consideration on Friday -- leaving Nathan Bruschi '10, David Nachman '09 and Ian Tapu '08 in the contest.
For several presidential candidates, this weekend was spent posting flyers around campus and forming Facebook groups in support of their candidacies.
Mejia, for example, arranged for two three-person teams to begin postering at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, just seconds after campaign's commencement -- a strategy also employed by Siporen, who gathered with a few of his supporters for a ceremonial first poster hanging in Novack Cafe before spreading posters throughout campus.
Taking a different approach, Robinson plans to launch her campaign on Monday, in an effort to avoid "oversaturating" the campus with her image and plans.
"I'm trying to have an effective campaign that doesn't annoy people," Robinson said.
Many candidates said their plans for the rest of campaigning will emphasize meeting with student organization representatives and other campus leaders.
"My campaign from now on will really be about getting my name out there," Siporen said.
Green, who estimated that he has already had informal conversations with two hundred people, said his campaign will be holding events in several freshman dorms in order to discuss his platform. Koganti, likewise, said that meetings with students will be an important step in furthering his campaign.
Robinson said that she considers the Class of 2007 an important voting constituency in her campaign.
"The '07s aren't very well informed of the fact that they are able to vote," she said.
Candidates will face election rules nearly identical to those of last year's elections, as the changes made by EPAC in the annual review of election rules were minimal, EPAC chair Kevin Hudak '07 said.
The only significant alteration made during the review was a change to the eligibility section of the rules, which calls for all candidates to be in "good standing" with the College in order to run.
EPAC decided to add an additional clause to this requirement, which clarifies that the distinction about a student's status will be made by the Dean's office -- and that students wishing to appeal the decision could do so through dialogue with their dean.
Hudak emphasized the importance of this change with respect to candidates aspiring to lesser positions, such as Green Key Society. While recognizing the potential strain that conducting a campaign for president or vice president could place on a student, Hudak said that those seeking smaller positions should have the chance to discuss their situation with their dean.
"Basically we're saying 'EPAC's not going to [judge] your academic record,'" Hudak said.
Green and Hudak are members of The Dartmouth staff. Robinson is taking a leave of absence from The Dartmouth to pursue the presidency.
