JSU disqualifies candidate for Facebook ad

JACKSON, Miss. – Leaving from the third floor of Jackson State University’s Jacob L. Reddix Campus Union, Adrian T. Pittman had a look of defeat after he was told that he was disqualified for campaigning off campus.
On Feb. 11, campaigning for Student Government Association positions for the 2008-2009 academic year began. Campaigning strategies and committee members were selected and immediately began making sure that their candidates were considered, if not chosen for their positions.
Pittman, a junior mass communications major from Calhoun, Miss., ran for Mr. Senior and won, only to find out that his votes would not matter because one of his campaign strategies led to his disqualification.
Special J. Bell, newly elected Miss Senior, was the bearer of the bad news. After being informed of the rumor, Pittman went to see Katrina N. Battle, senior chemistry major and election commissioner. Battle’s job entitled her to oversee the election process, which made her responsible for making sure that candidates were campaigning properly.
Battle said that someone from the committee informed her on Feb. 25, the day of elections that a member of Pittman’s campaign committee had been campaigning on Facebook, a networking website, since Feb. 13, which was against the rules.
“Facebook and myspace is a way to campaign through networking, which is the equivalent as off-campus, and unfair to other candidates,” said Battle. “Any outside campaigning including television, radio, text messaging and internet were against the rules. The only other place that candidates were allowed to campaign was at the Palisades.”
Although, Pittman said that it was out of his control that his campaign member Tasasha D.F. Jemison displayed a campaign slogan on Facebook, Battle stood her ground saying that he was held responsible for his campaigning committee.
“If the person wasn’t on the committee then it would have been different, because you can’t control other people’s actions,” said Battle. “But it was up to Adrian to inform his committee of all the rules.”
Michelle R. Hill, also a member of the election committee, was the one who actually saw the slogan on Jemison’s Facebook page that read “Vote Adrian Pittman for Mr. Senior.”
Hill said that Facebook campaigning was pointed out as against the rules when candidates picked their packets up and reiterated throughout the speeches and debates that took place that week.
“Adrian’s campaigning member had that up for almost a week, which was too long to not be held responsible,” said Battle.
Hill felt that there should be no verbal warnings after it was already explained several times.
“Your warning is when you get your packet, because it states it clearly in the forms,” said Hill.
Jemison, who has known Pittman since the fall semester of 2007, said that she was unaware of the consequences, because Pittman never broke down the do’s and don’ts of the campaigning process.
“We didn’t get a rule book, we didn’t meet and no rules were explained to me,” Jemison said.
Jemison, who feels that the situation was unfair, said that if they knew that they were going to disqualify Pittman for something that was put up on Facebook almost a week before, then why let him continue to campaign on election day.
Pittman, who said he spent over $125, on that day alone on pizza, drinks, cake and ice cream, wishes that he was informed of his disqualification earlier.
“It was unfair to him, and it was unfair to his campaigning committee because we worked hard for him,” said Jemison.
The Blue & White Flash his the official student newspaper of Jackson State University.