UA candidates strive for shock value, humor

A little Wharton-bashing goes a long way.

Or at least that's what College freshman Bren Darrow is hoping.

With a campaign that the Undergraduate Assembly candidate himself describes as "entirely based on image and negativity," a win by Darrow just may prove that a newly shaved mohawk and neon posters declaring "F*ck Wharton" may be the way to gain leverage in the polls.

As the two-week voting period for UA and Class Board positions draws to a close at 5 p.m. today, Darrow and his fellow candidates will be left to wait until the Nominations and Elections Committee releases the final tallies on Wednesday or Thursday.

For many, their fate as elected student government representatives depends upon the strength of their contributions to the poster-plastered and chalk-covered stretch of the center of campus.

"Looking at the [current online] results and then looking at who's doing the campaigning and postering, I can tell that it's making a difference," NEC Vice Chairwoman for Elections Rochelle Behrens said.

Following in the tradition of years past, candidates seem to have grasped onto the classic theme of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. From pictures of corkscrews and Britney Spears' cleavage to Beatles backgrounds and references to penis size, shock value is not lacking on Locust Walk.

"I do not limit their free speech in any way," said Behrens, a College senior.

Communication professor Joe Cappella said he sees these attention-getting techniques as a necessary and appropriate initial step in the campaigning process.

Noting that students have "to use appeals that are going to get the attention of [their] target audience," he cautioned against launching a completely superficial campaign.

"Advertising can be used as an impetus for deeper discussion," Cappella said. "If you draw attention to yourself and your candidacy and never use that for a more serious discussion of issues, then you haven't done a good service to your potential constituents."

With the introduction of UA candidate debates this year, the NEC hopes to encourage candidates to take their campaigns to that next, deeper level.

The debates "have kind of gotten [candidates'] platforms out," Behrens said, acknowledging that the UTV13 televised sessions "could certainly be used as a campaign tactic."

Director of Student Life Fran Walker said that she saw the debates as good in theory, but she was not sure how effective they have been in reaching potential voters.

"I think they're a great idea -- I just don't know how many people watch them," she said.

If students had in fact tuned in for the debates, they might have gained valuable information about both the candidates' stances on various issues and their personalities.

"All of the evidence suggests that in political debates, the audience really learns a lot about the candidates," Cappella said, noting that debates reveal a candidate's "ability to handle different questions [and to] handle stress."

Another avenue of persuasion that has been explored this election season is that of formal endorsements.

"The Greek system has been very proactive in making sure that people are aware of their candidates," Behrens said, noting that many campus groups have been utilizing listservs to get the word out about their preferences.

Though e-mails and Web pages have become popular methods of campaigning, Behrens said that she still has faith in more classic campaign approaches.

"To be honest, I think that the tried-and-true colored poster with a picture on it wins out every time."

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