Candidates Start Campaigns To Lead UC

Amid a swirl of tutu-clad women handing out fliers to the beats of Beyonce and the Spice Girls, the Undergraduate Council presidential candidates campaigned outside of the Science Center Tuesday morning.

UC presidential candidates Crystal D. Trejo ’13 and Danny P. Bicknell ’13 greeted passersby.

“Our basic philosophy is, we want to make contact with every student on campus,” Trejo said of the campaign strategy she and vice presidential candidate David H. A. LeBoeuf ’13 are employing.

Bicknell echoed this sentiment. He characterized his and vice presidential candidate Pratyusha Yalamanchi ’13’s campaign style as inclusive. “As UC leaders, we want to be very visible, very approachable on campus,” he said.

Both sets of candidates emphasized that campaigning at the Science Center was a way to reach a broad array of students, some of whom are not involved in student groups—another major target of presidential campaigning.

The UC-outsider ticket of presidential candidate Ryan P. Halprin ’12 and vice presidential candidate Aneliese K. Palmer ’12 was conspicuously absent from the scene outside the Science Center.

“I’m a joke candidate,” Halprin said when contacted for this article.

Bicknell noted his campaign’s attempt to reach freshmen.

“A lot of first years don’t realize that presidential elections happen in November,” Bicknell said.

To spread awareness among freshmen, both UC camps have begun canvassing in freshman dormitories.

On Tuesday afternoon, Yalamanchi, accompanied by Weld resident Christian Ramirez ’15, went door-to-door in Weld pitching her ticket’s platform.

“We’re very connected to the first-year experience,” Yalamanchi said, citing Bicknell’s personal experience with the social woes of freshman men. At each room, she highlighted the ticket’s plan and invited students to express their concerns.

The Trejo campaign also went door-to-door in the freshman dorms Tuesday evening.

Freshman reaction to UC door-knockinig varied.

“It’s kind of annoying, honestly,” Richard Y. Liu ’15 said after a visit from Yalamanchi. But he added, “I don’t mind standing there for a few minutes as long as it’s meaningful.”

Fellow Weld resident Adrian W. Jones ’15 reacted positively to canvassing UC candidates.

“I appreciate that they’re willing to reach out to freshmen to try to earn their vote,” he said.

Trejo said that she is trying to avoid certain campaign strategies. “Sometimes UC campaigns turn into big posters with people shouting. We’ll have a poster, but it will be stand-alone, so that it’s not the center of attention,” she said.

Picknell stood in front of the Science Center by a large red poster emblazoned with his and Yalamanchi’s names.

“The banner is a selling point,” he said with a smile.