SGA debates right to Web campaigning
Caitlin Libby
Issue date: 2/14/07 Section: News
Even though SGA elections for the 2007-08 school year won't take place until the end of next semester, two students have already launched campaigns on Facebook, causing controversy in the Senate.
Max Cohen '08 has started his campaign for SGA President and Katie Stanley '08 has begun a campaign for Programming Council Chair.
Both will be abroad during the spring semester, which has spurred their early campaigning efforts.
"I need every advantage possible," Cohen told The Wire, "and launching an early campaign is part of that."
Cohen is currently campaigning on campus for a month between his travels abroad. Cohen studied abroad in Spain last fall and plans to go to Argentina for the current semester.
Stanley will be running her campaign from England.
"I noticed that Max Cohen has a Facebook group for SGA President and thought it might also be a good idea to create one myself," Stanley told The Wire.
During the Senate's last meeting of the fall semester, however, senators and officers expressed mixed emotions regarding the early campaigning efforts.
SGA President JR Wallace '07 told the Senate that there was nothing in SGA's constitution preventing people from using Facebook to start early campaigns. But he urged the Senate to consider creating guidelines for Facebook campaigns to bring regulations into line with SGA's strict one-week campaigning limit.
Many in the Senate did not agree with banning Facebook groups outright, worrying about a lack of fairness for students studying abroad, like Cohen and Stanley.
Some senators suggested creating rules or a designating an amount of time in which a person could open a Facebook group for campaigns.
Although nothing was decided at the meeting, Stanley decided to end her early campaigning efforts and delete her Facebook group.
"I got the impression that I shouldn't really have done it," Stanley said in an interview. Although she closed down her Facebook group, Stanley says she still plans to run for Programming Council Chair this spring.
Max Cohen '08 has started his campaign for SGA President and Katie Stanley '08 has begun a campaign for Programming Council Chair.
Both will be abroad during the spring semester, which has spurred their early campaigning efforts.
"I need every advantage possible," Cohen told The Wire, "and launching an early campaign is part of that."
Cohen is currently campaigning on campus for a month between his travels abroad. Cohen studied abroad in Spain last fall and plans to go to Argentina for the current semester.
Stanley will be running her campaign from England.
"I noticed that Max Cohen has a Facebook group for SGA President and thought it might also be a good idea to create one myself," Stanley told The Wire.
During the Senate's last meeting of the fall semester, however, senators and officers expressed mixed emotions regarding the early campaigning efforts.
SGA President JR Wallace '07 told the Senate that there was nothing in SGA's constitution preventing people from using Facebook to start early campaigns. But he urged the Senate to consider creating guidelines for Facebook campaigns to bring regulations into line with SGA's strict one-week campaigning limit.
Many in the Senate did not agree with banning Facebook groups outright, worrying about a lack of fairness for students studying abroad, like Cohen and Stanley.
Some senators suggested creating rules or a designating an amount of time in which a person could open a Facebook group for campaigns.
Although nothing was decided at the meeting, Stanley decided to end her early campaigning efforts and delete her Facebook group.
"I got the impression that I shouldn't really have done it," Stanley said in an interview. Although she closed down her Facebook group, Stanley says she still plans to run for Programming Council Chair this spring.
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