Vice presidential hopeful punished 1.5 points for campaigning early
The Student Government Elections Commission found vice presidential candidate Katie Thompson guilty of two campaign violations Wednesday night.
The commission penalized Thompson, a second-year public relations student, one violation point for violating Code 411.11 of the SG Constitution, which forbids candidates from soliciting student organizations before filing begins on Jan. 18. The commission also cited a sentence in the e-mail to penalize her .5 points for violating 411.15, which prohibits the distribution of campaign speeches before the mandatory candidates meeting.
A candidate who receives five points is disqualified.
Shah Himali, president of the International Student Association, reported an e-mail her organization had received Jan. 17 from the 鈥淜atie Thompson for U, Us and 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒鈥� campaign.
The e-mail, sent from a 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 Beaufort account under the name Daniel Monroe, offered to 鈥渟chedule a date that would be best for Katie to come visit and speak to your organization.鈥�
Himali is helping with Rohail Kazi鈥檚 campaign for student body president, but she is not registered as part of his staff and said she may quit now.
Thompson said the commission had her full support and that she respected the decision 鈥�100 percent.鈥�
Zachary Lamb, the senior adviser to Thompson鈥檚 campaign and a fourth-year broadcast journalism student, handed out a statement at the violation meeting arguing the campaign had no knowledge of Monroe鈥檚 e-mail and that Monroe was merely a 鈥渃lose personal friend鈥� of Thompson rather than a member of her staff.
The commission disagreed, pointing out in its findings that Monroe initially appeared on the list of Thompson鈥檚 staff but 鈥渨as crossed off the list and dated on 1/18/11,鈥� a day after the e-mail was sent.
Himali said that the Thompson campaign鈥檚 early contact of student organizations gave it an unfair advantage.
鈥淪he already has her schedule. I鈥檓 still scheduling stuff, and I鈥檓 not sure where my candidate is going to go the next day,鈥� Himali, a fourth-year international studies student, said. 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure the damage is already done ... I don鈥檛 want them to get disqualified. I just want them to understand that this is a slap on the wrist, that this is not cool.鈥�