In an Associated Student Government (ASG) meeting April 30 with Denise Whisenhunt, dean of Student Affairs, it was announced that the recent ASG election results would be suspended until Monday May 4.
While the reasoning behind the suspension of the results was not made specific, the participating candidates were given the option to put any “allegations” in print for further review.
Reaction to the meeting was mixed, leaving some candidates wondering if this suspension could lead to another vote, or possibly another election.
President-elect David Campbell was left confused by the meeting. Campbell made an appearance at the Language Day fair in Gorton Quad April 22, and was introduced to the crowd by Alberto “Beto” Vasquez, Inter Club Council vice president, as the winner of the election.
“It was told to me that a public appearance as president-elect makes me official, and that an appearance would make the election results final,” said Campbell. “I thought that would be the official announcement.”
Campbell also felt that the suspension was “nonsense” and that he was “independent of the whole situation,” referring to the pranks previously reported in City Times’ article “All’s fair in love, war and politics?”
The president-elect also addressed his concern over having to run another election campaign.
“I gave my two weeks to run what I thought was a strategic campaign,” said Campbell. “I don’t think it would come to a second election, but I really hope it doesn’t.”
Campbell also said even though his presidency didn’t begin until June, his plans were to start work on his agenda for the school.
“I can’t do another election,” Campbell said. “I just want to do well in my classes and get my agenda going.”
The suspension of the results came after an ASG election that had its share of controversy due to alleged reports of pranks between ASG candidates.
According to a San Diego 10News report, originally aired on April 22, the pranks included attacks on Vikrum S. Deol, ASG presidential candidate, where “someone superimposed [his] head on a naked body and posted the picture on the Craigslist Web site along with an ad soliciting sex.”
The report also spoke of Deol answering the door to a pizza deliveryman trying to deliver “100 pizzas.”
Deol spoke of the “dirty campaign” with 10News, which reported Deol saying that the pranks “ultimately cost him the election.”
Christopher Conyers, vice-president-elect of ASG, had commented in the past that “everything is fine . and resolved,” in regards to the pranks.
At press time, a comment was not received from either Whisenhunt or Deol on the matter.
However, an official statement from Conyers was given to City Times, indicating his decision to resign as vice-president and reflecting Conyers’ thoughts and feelings following the decision to suspend the results of the ASG election.
