Candidates use e-mail to win votes

Freshman candidates running for the Undergraduate Assembly have used technology to their advantage during this year's campaign. Several freshmen have chosen to campaign through the University's electronic mail system, either by posting to newsgroups or by sending mailings to other freshmen through the Internet. Although the Nominations and Elections Committee has a Fair Practice Code outlining rules and procedures for candidates, electronic mail is never mentioned as a possible method of campaigning. NEC representatives said last night the omission does not cause a problem. "There is no policy or procedure regarding e-mail," NEC Chairperson Rick Gresh said last night. "But it is open and available to everyone and we don't see it as a problem." Gresh, a College senior, added that the NEC's guidelines follow those of the University. Mass e-mailings, for instance, could crash the system. If a candidate was found doing that, the University's policies would then come into play. "We want to allow candidates to campaign," he said. "If problems arise or complaints come up, then we'll deal with it." And NEC Elections Chairperson and College sophomore Molly Duncan agreed. "We do not have any rules against it in the FPC," she said. "It's something that all candidates can access and it's an effective way to reach people because most people I know have e-mail accounts. "It's up to the NEC as a whole to decide if [mass mailings] are something we want to prohibit," she added. Several freshmen have used the electronic mail system, although each has used it in different ways. College freshman Steven Schorr chose to use elm to find out what his classmates were thinking, he said last night. "I am just really glad that e-mail gave me the opportunity to find out the concerns of my fellow classmates and for my classmates to find out what I stood for," Schorr said last night. "They could respond to my plans and I can represent them more accurately since I know how they feel about the issues." Schorr added that he was "impressed" with the response he received. Engineering freshman and UA candidate Prashant Sheth posted to the newsgroup upenn.seas.general in an effort to get his message across. "Prashant wants to help you get the very best in school," Sheth's post said, and listed ideas including better food in dining services, greater emphasis on campus safety and longer Escort hours. A freshman, who asked not to be identified because of an NEC rule prohibiting candidates from speaking to the press, said he and his running mate, who also refused to be identified, used e-mail as a tool of "reinforcement." "Our strategy was to meet a lot of people, get their e-mail addresses, and then reinforce our names by sending them e-mail," the candidate said. "We got about 70 or 80 people via e-mail and I think e-mailing them led them to remember our names better." His running mate said e-mail is "an efficient way to meet people and talk to people." "Everybody is new at e-mail so it's a novelty," the candidate said. "It's a new fun toy and everyone likes to get e-mail right now." UA candidates who have not used e-mail in campaigning had mixed reactions about the practice last night. "Using elm kind of bothers me," said one candidate who requested anonymity. "It is a personal account and it's kind of like getting junk mail. "But newsgroups are fine because it's not your own account," she added. But College freshman Cheryl Harmelin thought campaigning through e-mail was a good idea, even though she has not started using her e-mail account. "It's a great way to get in touch with people," she said. "It's a good way to talk to somebody -- both for candidates and voters." And another anonymous freshman candidate said the idea of using e-mail "is cool," although he questioned its ethical implications. "It didn't occur to me to use it," the freshman said. "But I don't know if it's ethical to use e-mail as a medium for advertising, and campaigning is a form of advertising." Still another candidate, who requested anonymity, brought up the fact that the use of e-mail could be "a double-edged sword." "It's great if someone would receive 2 or 3 messages," the candidate said. "But if 34 of the 38 people did it, [those receiving the e-mail] would be annoyed at it and those who didn't use it might get more votes. People could get annoyed pretty quickly." UA elections began yesterday and continue today from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Locust Walk. To vote, students must be registered for at least three classes.