With new technology and new rules, elections for the Undergraduate Assembly and the class boards aim to be more efficient this year.
The candidates -- whether interested in changing the meal plan or getting the recently installed locks removed from the Quadrangle bathrooms -- began campaigning yesterday at 6 a.m.
"We are really excited about the candidate pool this year," NEC Chairwoman Rebecca Silberman said. "The newcomers are very excited and seem like they will bring a lot of new ideas to the table."
The students became official candidates at an information session held on Monday night by the Nominations and Elections Committee.
Students can vote online between April 1 at 8 a.m. and April 7 at 5 p.m. The results of the elections will be announced at the NEC's Fair Practices Code Hearing on April 8.
And to meet the candidates, students can attend "Get Out the Vote" on April 1, where the prospective UA members chat and give away food in an informal setting on College Green.
This year, campaign information, candidate packages and the Fair Practices Code are all available online. According to Silberman, the Internet is making the campaigning and election process much more efficient.
The NEC has also changed two major policies concerning campaigning, said Silberman, a College senior. Previously, candidates were not allowed to campaign through listservs, but as that policy was very difficult to enforce, they can now utilize all listservs, except for those of the UA, class boards and academic courses.
The other change that the NEC made this semester is the way it defines the term "surrogate." Previously, a surrogate was considered anyone who campaigned on behalf of the candidate, but the label now only refers to a person who campaigns for the candidate with his or her knowledge. The change stems from past situations in which candidates have been cited for violations as a result of campaigning done for them without their knowledge.
Meanwhile, the candidates have begun spreading the word on their platforms.
College sophomore Anthony Giuliano is running for the UA because he wants to make good on promises he has been hearing since before he came to Penn.
"It's been promised since I had been a pre-frosh that we'd be able to use PennCash at local vendors."
Giuliano said that if he is elected, he will help to make PennCash part of a more flexible meal plan.
College freshman Nick Bobys is running for re-election because of the great time he had this past year working on the UA.
"I had an awesome time this year," Bobys said. "Lobbying the administration for the good of the student body is the purpose of the UA, and that is what I want to continue doing."
College freshman Mike Cohen, who was selected to serve as a non-voting member of a UA subcommittee this past year, is also running for the UA.
"I got involved with issues [concerning campus life and facilities] and I really enjoyed myself," Cohen said. "I want to be able to get things fixed on campus... maybe get more off-campus study space."
Cohen also said that he wants to work on getting the Quad bathroom locks removed, and he has already spoken to the house dean of Woodland College House concerning that issue.
