2008 Woodie Awards
Behind the scenes, a different debate
Student Government representatives enter into online debate about campaigns and cronyism
Eryk Salvaggio
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: News
A question about a question - and a debate about a debate - is shining a critical light on Student Government. For some students, the issue is another example of cronyism in student representatives; for those representatives, it is an illusion of impropriety dictated by necessity.
Presidential candidate Sean Rankin is the current president of the University of Maine System-Wide Student Government (SSG), an organization aiming to represent students throughout the University of Maine System. Rankin's position was the subject of a question by moderator Daniel Bourgeois-Capozzi, spawned by a Facebook comment left by a former member of SSG, Jason Gayne.
Gayne went to high school with Rankin's opponent and incumbent SG president, William Pomerleau. Gayne's comments asserted that SSG had been "floundering" under Rankin.
The question asked Rankin to respond to the allegation. Following Rankin's rebuttal, Pomerleau was then given time to address the same question, giving Rankin a second round of criticism.
"The ... question was a clear attack on me, which was not credible. I never saw the message," Rankin told The Maine Campus after the debate. "Apparently it was posted on Facebook around the time our senate meeting started on Tuesday, and was un-posted around the time of the meeting's completion. I find it ridiculous that the question was even asked."
The candidates themselves wrote the first thirty questions - fifteen each - for the debate, according to Jonathan Charette, the commissioner of the Fair Elections Practices Commission (FEPC). Charette is responsible for ensuring all questions comply with FEPC guidelines, including restrictions on advocacy for or against candidates.
Charette insisted that the questions followed FEPC guidelines. Though those guidelines do not specifically address debates, they do state that advocacy against specific candidates is not permitted by the FEPC. Charette said he did not think the question was a form of advocacy against Rankin.
Presidential candidate Sean Rankin is the current president of the University of Maine System-Wide Student Government (SSG), an organization aiming to represent students throughout the University of Maine System. Rankin's position was the subject of a question by moderator Daniel Bourgeois-Capozzi, spawned by a Facebook comment left by a former member of SSG, Jason Gayne.
Gayne went to high school with Rankin's opponent and incumbent SG president, William Pomerleau. Gayne's comments asserted that SSG had been "floundering" under Rankin.
The question asked Rankin to respond to the allegation. Following Rankin's rebuttal, Pomerleau was then given time to address the same question, giving Rankin a second round of criticism.
"The ... question was a clear attack on me, which was not credible. I never saw the message," Rankin told The Maine Campus after the debate. "Apparently it was posted on Facebook around the time our senate meeting started on Tuesday, and was un-posted around the time of the meeting's completion. I find it ridiculous that the question was even asked."
The candidates themselves wrote the first thirty questions - fifteen each - for the debate, according to Jonathan Charette, the commissioner of the Fair Elections Practices Commission (FEPC). Charette is responsible for ensuring all questions comply with FEPC guidelines, including restrictions on advocacy for or against candidates.
Charette insisted that the questions followed FEPC guidelines. Though those guidelines do not specifically address debates, they do state that advocacy against specific candidates is not permitted by the FEPC. Charette said he did not think the question was a form of advocacy against Rankin.
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