Associated Students Inc. (ASI) officials have investigated allegations surrounding “dirty campaigning” during the recent ASI Elections.

The investigation began after complaints were filed against two still unnamed candidates campaigning for the ASI Board of Directors seats in the College of Liberal Arts. The allegations included campaigning while wearing an ASI shirt, soliciting door-to-door in resident halls and distributing candy during election days.

ASI Elections chair Kelsey Rice said she received complaints the Tuesday before the elections. In a prior article with the Mustang Daily, she said all candidates were notified about election policies prior to open campaigning, which began April 25.

College of Liberal Arts candidate for ASI Board of Directors, Lindsey Meredith sent an e-mail to the Mustang Daily on May 6 about the rules she said were being violated. She mentioned allegations the committee is now taking action against, as well as theft of campaign materials such as pickets and fliers.

“I think it’s important students know that their selected candidates have been given an unfair advantage since the beginning,” Meredith wrote in the e-mail.

Under the ASI Elections policy Article VII, students running for the board found guilty of irregularities can be charged up to $100 for each violation and can lose a $50 campaign deposit, which is usually given back once all campaign materials are turned in and a closing statement is given.

The committee met with individuals on both sides of the controversy to investigate the allegations and develop consensus among those involved. It unanimously decided to withhold the filing fee of the accused candidate because it said wearing an ASI-affiliated shirt while campaigning is a clear violation of the ASI Elections code and ASI personnel policy.

The other allegations were validated through written verification and are considered dropped as complaints.

“I think there are always issues with campaigning, but we do make a good effort to address all the rules,” Rice said. “I appreciate them bringing it to our attention and this is a lesson both for the campus and future ASI candidates.”

Could this be a nightmare? People are choosing not to vote in the Associated Students Inc. Elections because they disagree with “what’s going on?” Instead, people are opting to vote on the recent MyCalPoly Portal poll saying they don’t plan to vote in the ASI Elections. So wait … people are voting to say they aren’t voting?

Is it just me, or does “voting to not vote” seem a little backwards?

As we begin vote for the next ASI President and Board of Directors, I can’t help but thank the author of the “Boycott ASI Elections: Several reasons not to vote.” Thank you for providing a perfect example of reasons to vote.

Amidst the recent ASI presidential race controversy and especially in light of the above-mentioned opinion piece, I feel now more than ever it is important to share my opinion and a few facts with you. Transparency is important to me as a board member and especially as ASI Elections Chair, and I feel that you should know the following facts:

All members of ASI student overnment are given priority registration. Why, you ask? ASI student government members sit on several university-wide committees and provide student input and perspective on issues such as registration, campus dining, class scheduling, safety on campus and community relations. Campus-wide committee work is a huge part of the job, and priority registration is given in order to schedule classes around branch meetings, sub-committee meetings and university-wide committee meetings. The purpose of these committees is to remedy issues on campus. These committees celebrate “shared governance” — meaning faculty, staff and students make up the committee and work to solve problems and deal with campus issues. That’s the democratic process in action.

Another uncommonly known fact is that the ASI Board of Directors is the “official voice of the students.” The board has the authority to take the “official stance” on an issue on our campus, and can even formally direct the ASI president on any of his/her decision-making. Pretty big responsibility.

The ASI president is the CEO of ASI. The job is equivalent to a full-time job and is financially compensated for the cost of education and room-and-board in order to make ASI the first work priority. The ASI president represents Cal Poly, your voices, monthly at the statewide California State Students Association meetings and regularly to the Cal Poly administration, works closely with the city and other local government entities, serves as Chair of the Student Community Liaison Committee, Co-Chair of the Campus Fee Advisory Committee, and sits on the Athletics Governing Board, Academic Senate and Campus Planning Committee to name a few. In addition to these responsibilities, the ASI President helps direct the organization and works with the Board of Directors, Executive Cabinet and University Union Advisory Board to meet the needs of the student body.

ASI student government elected leaders manage and oversee the allocation of your student fees — that’s roughly $12 million. They pass policies and guidelines that dictate how club-funding money is approved and allocated.

I am not sharing these facts to glorify ASI, ask for a pat on the back or be ridiculed for mentioning the so-called “perks” of being a part of ASI student government.

As a member of student government, I wish the campus was as active, opinionated and constructively critical throughout the entire year — not just during “elections season.” We welcome feedback and the only way we can improve is through feedback from you, the voices we were elected to serve and represent.

Our college campus is a microcosm of the real world. This is the time to develop patterns of behavior that we carry with us for the rest of our lives. How we manage our time, the way we analyze and react to situations, eating and exercise habits are all examples of behaviors we modify and then carry forward throughout our lives. The act of voting is no exception to this list. By choosing to vote, it means you’re showing up. You’re showing up and doing more than just raising your hand or pointing a finger; you’re speaking. Your vote is your voice. Voting in our ASI Elections is an expression of that voice.

There is more power in casting your vote, your voice, than simply choosing to not vote because you disagree with the organization or the candidates. ASI is your organization. The name is Associated Students Incorporated for a reason. By casting your vote for elected positions it signifies you want to be a part of something bigger and you believe in the future of Cal Poly.

ASI Elections does not only pertain to a certain portion of the campus or a selected number of students; every student’s ASI fee money goes into the budget the ASI Board of Directors manages. Every student’s ASI fee money goes to pay for activities such as the Recreation Center expansion and the operation of the ASI Children’s Center. Every student’s needs and interests are considered when the ASI Board of Directors shape the corporate policy of the organization and every student is represented by the ASI President, who is seen as the face and spokesperson of Cal Poly.

So yes, it’s a little important that you vote, and it’s a little important that you care. I want you to recognize that your vote does matter. The students elected are a reflection of our campus, of your college and of you. I encourage you to keep your comments, opinions and constructive criticism flowing so we can help to shape ASI even more as an organization that helps more accurately reflect you. I encourage you to clear your throat and speak a little louder — please hear and feel the power of your voice. I know I am listening.

Kelsey Rice is an agribusiness senior and ASI Elections Chair.

There was plenty of traffic in the UU plaza area as some candidates encouraged people to vote for president and Board of Directors positions. Photo by Patrick Leiva-Mustang Daily.

For the past week, the Cal Poly campus has been caught up in the Associated Students Inc. presidential candidate controversy regarding Sarah Storelli and Alex Kaplan. Students now have the opportunity to choose the next president and ASI Board of Directors as voting commenced yesterday morning.

Students can vote for the president position along with the ASI Board of Directors candidates from their respective colleges via the My Cal Poly Portal. As of 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, 1,976 people, 11.7 percent of the student population, had voted; an hour later, the count increased to 2,100.

Since Kaplan dropped out of the race, Storelli is the only presidential candidate on the ballot. Storelli said she received great feedback from students in the plaza and spoke with many people who were anxious to vote. She was not nervous about the election results.

“It’s more exciting than anything for me since I’ve been planning this since my freshman year,” Storelli said.

She said she wanted to have people come out and show support for ASI and their university.

“I would encourage those who feel strongly enough about one side or the other to vote and voice their opinion and help make a difference on campus,” Storelli said.

ASI Elections Chair Kelsey Rice said polling stations at the library and the University Union (UU) allow people to vote without leaving campus. There will also be polling stations today located in the University Union and the library again, along with a third on Dexter Lawn. The stations will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We had a lot of success at the library because a lot of students didn’t know voting was going on,” Rice said. “Some had a lot of questions about what the voting process looked like, so it was nice to clarify those issues.”

She said many students have asked about there being only one presidential candidate and how much one vote really counts. Rice said students can write in another candidate or skip the presidential portion.

Regardless, a presidential candidate requires 51 percent of the voter turnout in order to be elected. Currently there are no official write-in candidates because they still need to fill out the presidential packet and pay the application fee.

Rice said the recent buzz surrounding the candidates has created an interesting time for Cal Poly.

“The campus climate is really conducive to making change because I feel like people are awake now to what’s up,” she said. “I think part of what was cool about the controversies with the presidential candidates is that people were really recognizing what the president does and what they want their president to do.”

Rice said she is excited about the voting period and wants students to grasp the excitement generated from last week and remember the importance of voting. She said another issue is students do not know they can vote for ASI Board of Directors as well. She also said many students do not know what the board does or who the candidates are.

History junior Chelsea Ganan said she doesn’t know much about what ASI officials actually do. She said she has not voted the past two years, but is more encouraged to vote this year because some of her friends are running for board positions.

“I have always meant to vote in the past but have never gotten around to it,” Ganan said. “I am excited to vote and for what the new candidates have to offer.”

Students still have until 7 p.m. Thursday to vote. Afterwards, there will be a concert by the Chiller Whales starting at 7 p.m. followed by an announcement of the winners at 7:30 p.m.

CLA

The College of Liberal Arts will be the most competitive race for the board of directors, with 12 candidates running for four positions to represent 2,587 students.

Cassie Bayer

Bayer is a history freshman who said she wants to be elected to the board of directors in order to nurture creativity on campus. She said she can do her part to help support organizations like the Craft Center by being a part of “something bigger.”

Tucker Brofft

Brofft is a political science freshman who said he would like the opportunity to plan different events for students, like karaoke, game nights as well as other activities. He also said he would like to help students communicate what they want.

Jessica Bruno

Bruno is a political science sophomore minoring in environmental science. She has worked for ASI, has been a CLA ambassador and is currently on the Library Advisory Board. She is running in a combined effort with Lindsey Meredith.

Daniel Galvan

Galvan is a sociology junior, a CLA ambassador and a member of the social sciences club. Galvan said he wants to make the CLA more visible on campus.  

Jeff Jaramillo

Jaramillo is a history freshman and said he has always had a passion for government. He added he wants to represent the CLA to make the college a better place and represent the students with regards to the budget cuts.

Kosta McDade

McDade is a political science senior with a minor in psychology. McDade currently works as a facility supervisor in the University Union and in the Rec Center. He has also been involved in student orientation, greek life and other clubs on campus.

Lindsey Meredith

Meredith is a political science sophomore and a CLA ambassador. She also works as a lifeguard at the Rec Center. She said she can usually be found at work or in the library and would love to hear from fellow students.

Katie Morrow

Morrow is a social sciences freshman who lives in Trinity, the CLA dorm. She said living in Trinity helped her to realize the importance of the college. She is a member of Relay for Life, a Pride Center ally and will be a WOW leader in the fall.

Samantha Reynard

Reynard is an English junior who said while she lacks student government experience, her range of studies at Cal Poly, German and Spanish minors and her time spent with the study abroad program, have given her a unique perspective that will be valuable for students.

Kathryn L. Scholte

Scholte is a communication studies junior who said she wants to give back to Cal Poly because of the positive experience that she has had. She also said she has a lot of pride as part of the CLA. “I’m ready and willing to stand up against those who may value the technical studies above the liberal arts,” she said in her candidate statement.

Megan Sirna

Sirna is a psychology sophomore and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She said now is an important time for students to have a voice on campus because of the budget crisis.

Kara Stone

Stone is a communication studies junior who is currently on the College Based Fee Student Advisory Committee for communication studies. She said her experience with the CLA budget made her want to be part of formulating change on campus.

Kiyana Tabrizi

Tabrizi is a political science junior with a business minor. She has been a member of the Cal Poly Stunt Team as well as the Mock Trial Association. She said she wants to use the experience she has gained to help the campus and the students.

Natalia Walicki

Walicki is a political science junior who has served as part of ASI for the past two years. She has served on the Executive Cabinet as Secretary of Legislative Affairs and Student Communication and Collaboration. She is currently the Cal Poly student designee to the Student Community Liaison Committee, meaning she has worked with the city council as well as other community organizations.  

COE

The College of Engineering is the largest college on campus, with 3,898 students, and has five representative slots on the ASI Board of Directors. However, there are only four candidates listed on the ballot this year.

Eric Freeman

Freeman is an industrial engineering freshman. Freeman is an Eagle Scout who said his main goal, if elected, is to bridge the gap between students and the board.

Susan Harada

Harada is a materials engineering junior who had no idea the ASI Board of Directors existed until recently, she said. However, she said she thinks this is to her advantage. “From my perspective, this position is all about bridging the gap between the students and the government. I am the gap,” she said in her official statement. Harada has had a leadership role in the Society of Women Engineers.

Kristin Porter

Porter is a mechanical engineering senior and wants to use the time she has spent with the university to the benefit of her college and the university as a whole, she said.

Matt Slette

Slette is also a mechanical engineering senior. He has been an ASI employee and is the vice president of the Delta Chi Fraternity. He said he hopes to take his experience working with other organizations and apply it to the ASI Board of Directors.

OCOB

The Orfalea College of Business has just three majors and 2,387 students, but is broken down into 10 different concentrations and four minors. The college has four representative slots.

Mulu Araya

Araya is a business administration sophomore who said leadership is one of her passions. She also said that giving back to the community is something she feels strongly about and did an internship this summer in San Francisco working with disadvantaged inner-city children.

Stuart Campbell

Campbell is a business administration junior. He said he wants to use his problem-solving abilities to represent the students in the OCOB.

Tony Chan

Chan is a business administration sophomore concentrating in management. He was the vice president of the Yosemite Hall Council and participated in the Inner-Housing Council. He said he has spent the last six months working with ASI. He has also been involved with the college of business by being part of the Orfalea Business Leadership Workshop and is a member in the co-ed professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi.

Kamie Machado

Machado is a business administration junior with a concentration in marketing. She is a member of the Cal Poly Dance Team as well as a member of the greek community. She said she wants to be able to make the communication from ASI to students more effective so students know what’s happening on campus.

Nicole Varvitsiotes

Varcitsiotes is a business administration ____. She said she is committed to maintaining Cal Poly as a top university. She added that the most effective student government is a strong, centered and active one.

Brett Ward

Ward is an industrial technology junior minoring in economics. He said he wants to make the campus more fiscally responsible and improve the quality of education at Cal Poly. He added that he would like to make it easier for students to get jobs and internships.

Students marched for the Dream Act during a question-and-answer period with ASI presidential candidate Sarah Storelli. Photo by Ryan Sidarto- Mustang Daily

Even with the presidential race whittled to just one candidate, the Associate Students Inc. elections campaign continued as scheduled Thursday in the University Union.

As ASI elections chair Kelsey Rice read from index cards, lone presidential hopeful Sarah Storelli, who has spoken with more than 67 clubs and organizations as part of her promise to unite campus organizations, said she felt at home in front of the mix-and-match crowd.

“I was comfortable, and I gave the best answers I could in the short amount of time,” she said.

Free cookies were given to those who submitted questions.

Filled with baked confection, one student expressed concern for the increased student fees and class availability. Storelli said while she will work to decrease fees, a lot depends on Governor Schwarzenegger and the state budget.

“As far as classes go, although students feel like classes are harder to take, they were able to take, on average, 14.2 units this quarter,” she said, “and both are ongoing issues that we can address with university administration once the time comes and depending on the  state of the economy  next year.”

After she answered the second question, a stream of peaceful demonstrators filtered  in and filled the plaza.

Carrying large signs painted with “Education is a Right” and “Support the DREAM Act,” members representing Movimiento Estudiantil Xicano de Aztlan (MEXA) joined the elections fiesta.

MEXA president Daniella Castro said the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act is an important piece of legislation and hopes students will show their support by signing a petition, which could help carry the legislation all the way to President Obama.

The petition and a wall detailing the DREAM Act will be on Dexter Lawn.

“We’re not pushing immigration reform,” she said. “We just want graduates to have a good chance to get a job once they leave here.”

Castro says some students in the club pay for their education because they do not meet the requirements necessary for receiving student loans or grants. Only legal residents qualify for such educational benefits.

If passed, the DREAM Act would grant temporary residency to those, who, as Castro pointed out, have no choice whether they are taken across the border. If passed, the act grants six years in which to  complete an undergraduate degree — which would earn students legal resident status – or join the military. Benefitors, however, would not be considered U.S. citizens, meaning they couldn’t vote.

“Schwarzenegger don’t be cruel, we just want to go to school!” echoed behind drum taps as Storelli finished the round of questioning.

Photo by Patrick Fina- Mustang Daily

Alex Kaplan has removed himself from the Associated Students Inc. presidential race. Sarah Storelli will now run unopposed for the top spot in Cal Poly’s student government.

Kaplan, who had no prior experience in ASI, let race officials know Wednesday that he would not remain in the race.

After a profile of Kaplan ran in the Mustang Daily on Tuesday, the story got more than one hundred Web comments, almost all of which were critical of Kaplan and his platform.

Storelli said she was only half-shocked that Kapalan dropped out of the race.

“Some people were not taking his campaign as seriously as he would have liked,” she said.

Despite the fact that hers will be the only name on the ballot, Storelli says she will still try to reach out to students.

“I am a thousand percent planning on actively campaigning still,” she said. “I’m still acting like I’m running against the best possible opponent.”

A debate between the two candidates was scheduled for the University Union hour, but will now be turned into a discussion between Storelli and students, said Kelsey Rice, chair of the elections committee.

“The purpose of the debates is for students to engage with candidates in order to get to know them better,” Rice said. “Just because there is only one candidate doesn’t mean that the purpose has changed.”

Rice said she was not aware of any other ASI presidential race when a candidate ran unopposed.

Storelli said she expects voter turnout to remain high because of the ASI Board of Directors election and because of the possibility of a write-in candidate.

She also said she has already talked to several dozen organizations on campus and expects her support to be substantial, despite the lack of competition.

Storelli’s platform is focused on safety, diversity, community relations, legislative affairs and sustainability.

While there is a possibility that she could be beaten by a write-in candidate, Storelli said she’s not planning on losing.

When contacted by the Mustang Daily, Alex Kaplan declined to comment.