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Following a closed session last Tuesday, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) voted to seat Sam White as Sophomore Senator despite two challenges to his May 5 election.
The Senate vote came after a decision made by the Senate Affairs Committe, which regulates elections, to uphold White’s election. The Senate upheld the SAC decision to keep White seated in a 13-5 vote, with President Pro Tempore Javier Ogaz, Senior Senator Trisa Bui, HRTM Senator Tim Healy, Off-campus Senator Katie Bernell and NSM Senator Kelly Wagner opposing.
One of White’s opponents, freshman Vanessa Teck, and Social Sciences Senator-elect Craig Hirokawa, also a freshman, charged that White, who is the current Freshman Senator, violated campaigning by-laws. White also was accused of sending a harassing message through Facebook to Hirokawa regarding the alleged violations.
This is the first time in recent student government elections that the seating of a winning candidate was challenged.
“I understand that the allegations against me were with good intentions and to make sure that the right person was put into the Sophomore Senate seat, but as said at Senate I did nothing to break the rules,” White said. “I used the same spray chalk that everyone else used, and simply asked a candidate to refrain from slandering me during the election.”
In the appeal, Teck claimed White violated Senate’s finance regulation, which allows senator candidates to spend no more than $50 on campaigning in documented receipts. In campaigning, White used spray chalk, which needed to be washed down by DU facilities management.
Teck claimed that the cost of water and labor needed to be added to White’s total amount of money spent. Teck also claimed that the use of the spray chalk, which is still in tact in front of Centennial Halls, is another violation.
Before elections began, each candidate had to submit a $50 deposit to ensure that they would abide by the rules. Because of the spray chalk, White’s $50 was not returned.
But White was not the the only candidate to use the spray chalk in campaigning. On-campus Senator-elect and current Freshman Senator Katherine White and Sophomore Senator-elect Jordan Loyd also campaigned with spray chalk.
Hirokawa presented the SAC and Senate with a Facebook message from White sent May 4 at 9:22 a.m., during the second day of the three-day election process, which according to Teck and Hirokawa’s appeal, “explicitly presents a threat to Craig Hirokawa’s safety and well being.” Hirokawa claims this is a violation of election by-laws stating that candidates are expected to conduct themselves at all times and uphold the University of Denver Code of Conduct.
The message read: “i [sic] dont [sic] appreciate downplaying my name in any way so if you could stop it thatd [sic] be chill. I shouldnt [sic] be hearing from other people sam [sic] white [sic] did… i [sic] have friends everywhere bud so be careful. Thanks! Sam.”
According to Carl Johnson, USG adviser and director of Campus Activities, Kristin Olson, director of citizenship and community standards, in an e-mail said that the the message could have been considered harassment and that there shoud have been a polite reply to the message saying that it is offensive and that the type of language needs to stop.
Following the meeting, White made a public apology to Hirokawa.
White and Sophomore Senator-elect Jordan Loyd defeated Teck by more than 30 votes.
