The difference between law and a gentlemen's agreement is being tested by the Undergraduate Student Government presidential candidates.

Candidates who are on the ballot made an agreement at an informational session one week ago to not solicit student organizations to reserve a room, window or banner space for use by a campaign in order to prevent an unfair advantage for any ticket.

However, USG Presidential Candidate Jaime Desmond and her running mate John Polk, who were not at the meeting, said they do not agree with the pact and do not consider themselves bound by it.

"This is a two-week campaign in which we will all be working against each other," Desmond said. "I think all campaigns should be searching for their best resources."

Beth Seigley, Desmond and Polk's campaign manager, was at the meeting, but did not speak for or against the agreement. No official vote was taken on the matter.

The meeting was important, planned for several weeks and should have been attended by at least one of the candidates, said Head Elections Commissioner Angelo Annese.

Desmond said she and Polk had previous speaking engagements and believed the meeting was strictly an informational session. She said she does not know if she will use banner space reserved before spring break by Polk, vice president of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, 215 HUB.

Individual students or campaigns cannot reserve such space. However, officers of registered student organizations are permitted to do so in their organizations' name.

Because the space was reserved before the official campaigning period, Annese said, the USG Elections Commission is investigating whether it will file a violation for campaigning early. The maximum penalty for a guilty violation could be disqualification from the elections and/or office.

Many of the other candidates for president of USG said they are upset with Desmond and Polk's decisions: Because a representative of the campaign was there and did not protest, Wesley Bowser said, the eight candidates were in agreement.

Jason Covener said Desmond and Polk should have been at the meeting and should not use their connections to get an advantage.

Thane Fake considered the initial meeting the most important of the campaign season, he said. Campaigning early is the worst violation of the USG Elections Code, he said, and should be taken seriously by the commission and the voting students.

Michael Landsberg does not care that Desmond and Polk did not stay at the meeting, he said. They are taking a big risk if they use the space, he said, but it seems as though they are more concerned with winning than with violations.

Darin Loccarini said he thinks the ticket considered itself above the meeting and is only concerned with appealing to executive student organizations, not regular students.

Desmond is not upholding the spirit of the elections and the code, said David Lubkemann, who was not at the meeting. He added they should have tried to go to the meeting. Seigley should have spoken up at the meeting, said Blaine Rummel, who did not comment on the issue of early campaigning.

Hank Saur said Desmond considers herself above the code and that the reserved space should be defined as campaigning early.