Surprise candidate adds suspense to ARHS election

By CJ CALO
Collegian Staff Writer

Steve Wakefield, Undergraduate Student Government senator for East Halls, surprised the Association of Residence Hall Students Monday night during their internal elections by announcing his write-in candidacy for ARHS president.

The announcement, which Wakefield said he had seriously considered for the past week, angered some ARHS members. The single candidate that the committee had selected for the position, Maggie Kutzler, has been a member of ARHS for the past year.

In Wakefield's impromptu speech before ARHS council, he stated that he was running to give the committee another option.

"Right now you're not being offered an alternative," Wakefield said, adding he would "work as a coordinator and not as a dictator."

Wakefield also promised to try to smooth over interpersonal conflicts between council members.

"I would absorb all the crap," he said.

After the speech, when asked if his candidacy was serious or meant as a joke, Wakefield said he had taken the election seriously.

But Wakefield, according to the ARHS constitution, would be unable to hold the office of president because he is not an ARHS member, although it was possible for him to be on the ballot.

Wakefield pointed out that if he were elected, the ARHS constitution could be amended by the council before he assumed the position.

"He found a loophole and he decided to make a joke out of the elections," Kutzler said.

Before the election began, the council passed a motion prohibiting write-in candidates from speaking but allowing them to have question-and-answer sessions. Current ARHS President Scott Payne said Wakefield spoke illegally because the motion itself was badly worded.

Payne explained it is the policy of ARHS that whenever the floor is yielded to someone, they cannot be interrupted.

After each speech, a discussion was held by the council to consider each candidate's qualifications. During this time, the candidate in question must leave the room.

After Wakefield's speech, some anger was expressed by council members and Josh Bokee, USG Senate president, apologized to the council.

The results of the first vote were indecisive. Neither candidate had managed to get a two-thirds majority. After a second vote to determine who had a simple majority, Kutzler was elected as the new president of ARHS.

"I actually did think there was some chance I could win," Wakefield said, "especially after the second ballot."

Certain members of the ARHS council were not amused by Wakefield's actions.

"It takes a fool to abuse a technicality and decide to run in one week," Payne said. "It takes a year of committed service to make a leader."