U.C. Candidates Use Strange Tactics

Come to the Science Center tomorrow a little before high noon armed with shields and rapiers: it's time for the Undergraduate Council presidential duel.

Yesterday Stuart D. Shapley '99, a candidate for council president, challenged his competitor Beth A. Stewart '00 over e-mail to a duel during which he promised to "redeem myself as an officer and a gentleman by running you through with my rapier, then methodically dispatching that shaggy horde you laughingly refer to as your campaign staff."

As the candidates hit the election-period home stretch, voters can expect to see more bizarre antics around campus. The voting period closes tomorrow at midnight.

It seems that these methods are effective: many students said they were not aware of the candidates or their platforms until this week, when many candidates began tabling outside the Science Center.

Anne G. Cellucci '00 said she did not know who the candidates were until the tabling caught her attention.

"That guy over there, he stands out just because he's sitting on beer cans," she said, referring to Michael S. Bush '99, who pledges to bring the campus more parties and fun.

"We needed a way to differentiate ourselves," Bush said of his throne of beer cans.

"[Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III] came by and he thought it was funny," Bush said.

He added that his campaign could also accommodate teetotalers, pointing out that the throne also included a Canada Dry ginger ale can.

"Whether or not we win or lose we just want to have fun," Bush said. "I want to bring the U.C. back to the people."

According to Bush, the race is wide open, especially because of the ranking system (single transferable voting) used to tally the votes.

The candidates will first be ranked based on the number of first-place votes they receive. The votes for the lowest ranked candidate will be redistributed to the second-choice candidate on each ballot on which that candidate was ranked first. This process will continue until one candidate receives a majority.

The candidates this year all acknowledged that their campaigns were hastily designed. None began before November; current council president Lamelle D. Rawlins '99 began her campaign planning four months before the election last year.

The rush, in addition to vigilant reports of campaign violations from workers on each campaign, stifled the voices of the 14 candidates, many of them said.

Shipley said he wanted to put the campaign into perspective.

"It's all about enlivening the campaign," Shapley said. "The highlight so far has been Mike Bush's throne of empties."

Science Center, High Noon

The political thrusts and parries of candidates may be a bit more real tomorrow when Shapley brings his sabers and foils to do battle with Stewart.

"The loser will have lost so much face that it will be impossible to win," Shapley said.

Shapley said he targeted Stewart because he believes she is the frontrunner and thus his biggest challenger.

"[The others] are more than welcome too...whoever's in front is the one to go after," Shapley said.

Stewart said she considered the invitation a welcome change from the usual campaign tactics.

"I think it sounds like fun," Stewart said. "I consider it a refreshing change from backstabbing."