What Is Considered Too Much Campaign Tactics

Monday, April 7 at 12:01 a.m. began the formal campaigning period for the 2003-04 Southern University Student Government Campaign. Teams representing every office went into action to relay their candidate’s name to the student populace, even in rainy weather.
“Its cool that they can come together and campaign against each other,” said Yolanda T. Piece, Houseparent in Camille Shade.
Many of the tactics were as simple as chalk on the sidewalks outside of Smith-Brown Memorial Union, Mayberry Dining Hall, or T.T. Allain Hall. Some were bringing flyers to student’s rooms, yelling campaign chants outside of dorms, placing poster boards on stairwells and Styrofoam cups in the form of the candidate’s name in fences around campus. Others bent more towards a state or local government political race with sponsors, professional flyers and billboards.
“It is just a lot of unnecessary money that people are spending on campaigning,” said Jeff Lawrence, a senior criminal justice major from Kenner.
Professional billboards, color flyers and banners hang from buildings along with the lesser expensive spray painted sheets. In addition, trucks and cars decorated with yard signs and shoe polish on their windows boast the names of several candidates while riding around campus.
Lofton Security Service security officer Dwayne Henry was on duty Monday morning.
“Its OK, but the students need to be more cautious of their surroundings.”
A number of students feel differently about the campaigning process and the eventual outcome of the upcoming races.
“I think it’s good, but it is more like a parade then a campaign. People swinging around and honking is not talking about issues, it should be won off of the issues,” said 21-year-old junior and New Orleans native Keith Lienyear, a business management major. “The run-off will be won on popularity and not the issues.”
Lienyear was not the only one with the notion of popularity determining the outcome of the election process. Simmie Johnson Jr., from Bastrop, is a member of a campaign team and hopes that it doesn’t happen this year.
“People put too much into it, its all about popularity that all it is,” said Johnson while finishing up a chalk sign outside of John B. Cade Library.
In addition to the campaigning Monday night, walking billboards can be seen around campus. Students wearing t-shirts, name tags, buttons, drinking from water bottles and writing with pens donning candidate’s, faces, names and slogans.
There was also the Easter Bunny in Mayberry Hall endorsing a candidate, just in time for the holidays.