Student body presidential candidate John Nolan '10 admitted that his recent criticisms of the current Student Assembly administration were motivated by a "desire to win" and are not representative of his personal beliefs in an e-mail to Student Body President Molly Bode '09 and Assembly Vice President Nafeesa Remtilla '09 obtained by The Dartmouth on Thursday.
Nolan, in a presidential debate on Wednesday, said Bode's administration was "bogus" and that Bode had failed to adequately advocate for students' interests. He argued that one of his opponents, Frances Vernon '10, would continue Bode's policies.
Nolan sent the e-mail to Bode and Remtilla after the debate, less than six days before voting is to begin. In the message, he said his criticisms were "purely strategy" and were intended to associate Vernon with an ineffective administration. The e-mail was provided to The Dartmouth by a member of the Assembly who expressed support for Vernon.
"Yes, I could go about playing the likeable card, the approachable card, be a people pleaser, and smile and nod and maybe pull off some Sara [sic] Palin winks," Nolan said in the e-mail. "But at the end of the day, if I do that, and I lose to [Vernon], I'm going to regret this experience."
His criticisms of Bode's administration were also designed to generate publicity, he said in the e-mail.
"When I tried to be politically correct, I didn't get press coverage," he wrote. "I need my name out there. I need the exposure. I need to make waves to win, and that's all I'm doing."
Nolan apologized to Bode and Remtilla for any offense his comments may have caused. He said he does not believe the Assembly has been ineffective, adding that his statement during the debate did not reflect his "actual beliefs."
"I just believe that in order to win, I need to create controversy without playing dirty and attacking the other candidates," he said in the e-mail. "This is a way of avoiding that."
The message was an e-mail "between friends," Nolan said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
When asked whether his comments in the e-mail were more representative of his views than his statements during the debate, Nolan said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth, "Everyone is just trying to maintain friendships and best represent the student body."
Bode confirmed that she received Nolan's e-mail and said she appreciated his apology.
Bode said she felt the Assembly had represented students' opinions effectively. She also encouraged all candidates to strive to improve on her administration's efforts. Bode declined to comment on Nolan's suggestion that she and Vernon are similar.
"I have offered to all candidates my advice and an ability to meet with me at any time if they have questions about any policy initiatives," Bode said.
Bode said she hopes next year's Assembly will be productive, whichever candidate is elected.
"I hope that candidates bring up substantial issues in the debates," she said. "I hope they are able to constructively critique things Student Assembly has done this year."
Neither Bode nor Remtilla has endorsed a presidential candidate.