Freshman elections | Can the campaigns live up to their promises?

Since voting for the 2012 Class Board and Undergraduate Assembly representatives began Monday night, candidates have been going all out in an attempt to garner votes.

Each fall, freshman candidates for student government listen to their fellow new students' concerns and then plaster the campus with posters promising to improve campus food, extend dining hours and put air conditioning in Hill College House.

Well-intentioned as they are, most of those candidates have no idea these goals aren't even feasible.

"You cannot expect freshmen who have been on campus for less than a month to fully grasp the inner workings of Penn student government and the limitations thereof," said College junior Brittany Stark, chairwoman of the Nominations and Elections Committee.

But that doesn't stop freshmen like College student Harry Fidler from promising to serve up healthier food.

Another issue that candidates have focused on in the ongoing election is making the campus more environmentally friendly.

"Some of the candidates' goals are very ambitious," said College and Wharton senior Wilson Tong, chairman of the UA. "It's unlikely that they'll be able to accomplish major changes to dining or environmental sustainability plans in one or two months, but maybe in a few."

Wilson added that other freshmen claims - such as Wharton freshman Paul Lyandres' promise to get golf carts for all students - "just aren't practical or a good use of Penn's limited resources."

But, he said, the overall caliber of this year's candidates is much higher than in the past few years and he is confident that "the few outliers with ridiculous campaign promises won't misrepresent the significant role the UA and student government play on campus."

Stark noted that some candidates - such as Wharton freshmen Faizan Khan and Triston Francis - have taken the initiative to attend some UA meetings, which indicates that there are plenty of candidates who wish to be more "educated contenders."

Some students who wish to represent Penn's student body have come up with practical and novel ideas.

For instance, Wharton freshman Nancy Zhang, running for vice president of the Class Board, wants to initiate Thanksgiving events for those students unable to return home during breaks.

Wharton freshman, Federico Nusymowicz, running for Class Board president, is less concerned with the promises students make and more with how they plan to pay for them.

"Candidates like to promise better food, no rats in the Quad and Lamborghinis for everyone. But what they never talk about is where the money to do all these things will come from."

He wants to make a memorial brick garden where students can have their names or messages etched into bricks for a small fee to help the class treasury.

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