Jay Bundy, the student who caused a controversy last semester by winning student government elections, then stating students who elected him were "stupid," will again run for president.
Bundy and six other tickets are campaigning to be elected president of the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), the election commission announced last night.
Bundy received the most votes for UPUA president in last fall's elections, but he was disqualified as a result of campaign finance violations. When he believed he would serve as president, he said, among other things, he would seek the "lowest approval rating in history."
Last night, Bundy said he "would like to offer a sincere apology to anyone who was offended" by his comments following the fall elections.
He said because of a number of factors, including the "trauma" of being disqualified from the elections, he had a manic episode and was diagnosed with type 1 bipolar disorder. Bundy said his disorder is now under control.
"My doctors and my lawyer and everyone in my support system says that, being on my medication and taking care of my health, I can complete any task," he said.
Bundy is one of seven candidates in the election. The rest of the field is composed of Jonathan Gremminger, Daniel Hadas, Peter Johnson, Gavin Keirans, Hillary Lewis and Ricardo Torres.
One of the main goals of Bundy's campaign will be to raise awareness about mental health issues, he said.
"I believe that all students, in some way, shape or form, deal with mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, stress or substance abuse," he said. "We are committed to advocating for positive mental health and striving to achieve positive mental health throughout the community."
Bundy's running mate, Jared Gagne, replaced Christopher Brink, Bundy's running mate in the fall, because Brink is currently studying abroad.
Two of the candidates for the presidency, Lewis and Torres, are currently serving in UPUA. Lewis said she was motivated to run for president by her experiences in UPUA. Particularly, she mentioned a desire to see meetings run more efficiently. Lewis is running with another current UPUA member, Frank Keller.
Torres currently serves as chairman of UPUA's academic affairs committee, and he was also president of the Undergraduate Student Government's (USG) academic assembly before its dissolution. Torres said the "good rapport" he had established with student councils and the faculty senate would help him if he was elected president. Torres' running mate is Mike Anderson, also a current UPUA member.
Another candidate, Keirans, served in USG before its dissolution as well. He was the director of the executive cabinet and also organized the recent "awareness week," which targeted student apathy. Keirans said if he were elected president, he would form a "collaboration" of various special interest groups and the other presidential candidates to form a "strong united front." Keirans is running with vice presidential candidate Michael Wallace.
None of the other candidates has experience in student government. Hadas, whose running mate is Michael Barasch, said he would draw on his experience as president of Sigma Phi Epsilon if he was elected UPUA president.
"I feel that right now UPUA has an opportunity to become something really great for Penn State," he said. "Really, I just want to focus on the students and what students want."
Gremminger, who cited leadership experience in the Marine Corps, said he was motivated to run by the "embarrassment" of the fall elections, and wanted to concentrate on increasing students' representation and creating a "viable government here at Penn State." Gremminger said his running mate, James Isajewicz, is an officer candidate in the Marine Corps.
Johnson said he was motivated to run by a desire to be influential in helping students gain more representation in the decision-making process, especially on a number of advisory boards. His running mate is Chris Lenn.
Also notable on the candidate list is current UPUA president Jay Chamberlin, who is running for a position as an at-large representative. Chamberlin said he wants "to continue to have an impact in the organization," but he felt it would be "inappropriate" to run for president, since he is graduating in December.
There are 10 students listed as at-large candidates including Chamberlin, and they will be competing for six seats. About half of the other races are listed as competitive, having more candidates than positions available. Only the races for the representatives from the colleges of earth and mineral sciences and arts and architecture have no candidates.
UPUA's election commission has planned a number of events to take place between today, when campaigning officially begins, and election day, April 25. There will be "Meet the Candidate" sessions in every living area, including off-campus. There are also two executive ticket debates scheduled, as well as another debate to take place during LateNight Penn State.
