|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Voorn Project Guide to the Corrupt and Boring SGA Election 2003
For the past week, TCU students have read about the biggest election scandal to hit campus in its history: a charge of EARLY CAMPAIGNING. I know, it's a travesty. Let me tell you about this controversy. As you know,
a college can tend to be a microcosm for the real world. College students
aren't really adults, we just play like we are. So this "scandal"
is more like a misunderstanding between kids pretending to be politicians,
voted by kids pretending to be citizens, blown out of proportion by kids
pretending to be Pulitzer Prize winning journalists. Well we here at the Voorn Project don't do any of that! I know I'm no adult and I won't pretend to be one. Furthermore, I'm not winning any Pulitzer Prizes with the Voorn Project, or if I were a writer at the TCU Daily Skiff. Here's how the story played out: About a month ago, Blake Eason resigned as Student Government Association (SGA) Parliamentarian. His reason was his office would interfere with his plan to run for student body president. Two weeks before the scheduled election day of November 11 is the start of the campaign period, as noted by the SGA Campaign Guidelines with no one reads nor cares about except for Nick James, chair of the "Elections and Regulations Committee." Wow, will the excitement never end?? Please...go back to living off your Superfreak royalties, Nick James. Another candidate
openly questioned Eason's resignation as cheap publicity for his campaign.
He was then charged with "early campaigning". Then, on election
day, he was accused of soliciting dorm residents to vote for him by knocking
on their doors. Apparently he didn't have authorization to be inside said
dorms. He was removed from the race on Thursday, November 13. Another charge was for purchasing donuts. Sebastian Moleski (Programming Council VP candidate), Megan Brown (VP of House candidate), and Jay Zeidman (SGA Prez candidate) were accused of purchasing donuts with SGA funds. The purchase was approved to entice students walking through the Main to vote in the election. If they voted in the Student Center lounge, they got a donut. The problem was these tainted donuts were handed out by Moleski, Brown, and Zeidman, candidates in the election. Moleski and Brown won their races. Moleski ran unopposed and Megan Brown beat Jose Luis Hernandez by about 200 votes. They were allowed to remain the VPs-elect but were each ordered to pay a fine and to pay for the cost of donuts. Zeidman received a similar charge, but the results of the president race are still outstanding. Which brings us to the re-race, happening Wednesday, November 19. The four presidential candidates below will be featured in a brand new race. Here are the results of last week's election: Blake Eason
- 798 votes And here's The Voorn Project Guide to the Corrupt and Boring SGA Election: Blake Eason
Here's what I know about Blake Eason that isn't included in the Skiff Election Guide. When I first heard his name, I confused him with another guy I know, Blake Nelson. The lasting impression that Blake Nelson left me was when he gave a Monday@TCU tour and talked about how "there's nothing to do at TCU except drink." What a great thing to tell high school students and their parents! I was relieved that Blake Eason was not Blake Nelson. Furthermore, Blake Eason is a member of Pi Phi for Boys (or Pi Kappa Phi, as it's more commonly known as). That fact is of course left off anything he's involved with because the Pi Kaps don't want you to know about how much joy they take in controlling the "stronghold" that is SGA.
Jay Zeidman
Anyway, I did find out more about this guy. First of all, he ran on a joint ticket with Megan Brown for VP and Corrie Lockhart for Secretary (both girls won). His candidate posters called him "Jay Z". He's a fraternity boy, a member of Kappa Swigma, I mean Sigma. Jay is a junior, which means he technically wasn't a Kappa Sig last year because they were suspended and kicked off campus for hazing their pledges. They have since returned. Zeidman narrowly lost to Eason by 3 votes last week. My guess is that he got the majority of the Greek vote. All he had to campaign on was "Blake Eason is a Pi Kap. I'm not. Vote for me" and they would be sold. Greeks make up 40% of campus, so that is a sizable chunk. Jason Ruth
Jason has spent his time with the Entrepreneurial Club, called CEO. I never understood the purpose of a club for entrepreneurs. If you want to start your own business, do you have to join? Were Michael Dell, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison in this club in college? Jason has avoided any of the controversy surrounding the premature campaigning, the dorm solicitations, and of course, the donuts. His clean record makes him a good candidate. I voted for Jason the first time around. Anthony Oppermann
Tomorrow, I very well might vote for Anthony. He dates a Flower Mound girl, Jennifer Santini. We graduated together in 2000, but we didn't actually meet until we had E-Business 101 together. She was a Marquette.
Whoever wins speaks at the Monday at TCU closing session, and yours truly gets to introduce the SGA President. So far, I've introduced Chelsea Hudson and Brad Thompson. Who will be next? You'll have to see. Don't forget to vote! Don't be like Geoff Godley who says "eh, I don't vote." Be the other guy who DOES vote!
**Thanks
to the Skiff Online for the photos that I stole.**
|
THE
VOORN PROJECT |
Of
all the candidates, Eason has raised the most controversy. This is the
fourth SGA election I've seen in my TCU career (3 of which have been a
contest, 1 by acclamation) and by far the dirtiest. It is questionable
when, on your campaign website, you put the Skiff resignation article
under "Press." Right there, it appears as if everything is falling
into place for you, Blake, whahaha. What's your qualification? Parliamentarian?
Great, so you've read Robert's Rules of Order. What else does
your job entail? No, don't email me and give me a description, I really
don't care.
I
don't know anything about Jay Zeidman. I guess he's in SGA, no one really
knows. No matter how much money SGA and Programming Council pump into
social events, the only successful ones are always Howdy Week and Homecoming.
No one comes to "Super Frog's Birthday". Quit wasting my (i
mean Hans's) SGA fees that I (my dad) pay to the University.
Jason
Ruth is a senior majoring in everything the business school has to offer.
Officially, he is an E-Business/Marketing/Entrepreneurial Management major.
I think he was Finance at some point too. I have had classes with him
for some time now, since we're both E-Bus. With three majors, he won't
graduate this May, so he decided to fill his "spare time" with
a run at SGA President.
Anthony
is the dark-horse candidate in this election. He doesn't strike me as
a real political type ("political" meaning stabbing backs, taking
money under the table, etc). He is honest and true, and is a good public
speaker. Anthony is a Radio-TV-Film major, kind of like me (I'm a minor),
but we take both RTVF classes together - Media Analysis and Business of
Media. Today in class, he shared a stirring commentary about how the corruption
in the race has been tiring and he considered pulling out. He remained
a candidate because the office should demand respect, and he wants to
bring that. It was a good speech, and it was on topic too, since we've
been talking about ethics in media lately.