Fall 2013 Candidate Packet for Penn Student Government Elections

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    FALL 2013 ELECTIONS CANDIDATE PACKETfor the &

    September 2013 Last updated August 28, 20

    Dear Prospective Candidate,

    Congratulations! By collecting this packet you have taken the first step in your campaign to join one of Penn Student Governmentelected branches. Tis packet contains all of the information that you will need to run a successful campaign. From now until the end the election cycle, you are responsible forallof the information included within this packet, which is available alongside other resourconline atwww.penn-nec.org.

    Tere are a few details that I would like to call to your attention. Te Fair Practices Code (FPC) outlines the rules of the elections.Itimperative that you read the FPC very carefully.It is also available online atwww.penn-nec.org/fpc. Numerous changes are made to thFPC each year, so it is vital that candidates download and carefully read the most recently updated version.

    Some important highlights:

    . Home School:For CB class chairs: if a candidate is pursuing a joint/dual-degree, they may choose in whichsingle school they will run. Designation of school must be made on the Candidate Form and Certificate of Candidacy.

    Note:Joint and dual-degree candidates who choose notto run in their home school (as designated by the registrar)will vote in the chosen school. However, fellow students in their programs will vote in their home schools. Tat is,fellow students will not have the opportunity to vote for candidates who choose to run in the alternate school.

    .. Electronic Mail Policy:A candidate may not use class-wide (e.g., Class of ), school-wide (e.g., Whartonundergraduates), school-wide/class-wide (e.g., Wharton Class of ), or interdisciplinary program-wide (e.g. Hunts-man Program) listservs to aid in their campaigning.

    Te monetary campaigning period begins on Wednesday, September at . You may notcampaign using materials that havmonetary value prior to this time.

    Failure to adhere to the rules above and all others outlined in the FPC will result in disqualification from the elections. Te FPC wibe explained in more detail at the mandatory Candidates Meeting on Tuesday, September at . Location to be determined.

    Please note that you may run for the Undergraduate Assembly (UA), Class Board, or both. If elected to both positions, you may serin both offices. It is essential if you are running for both positions that you complete forms for both positions. Te NEC encourages yoto gather information about each positions responsibilities before deciding for which one(s) to run.

    If you have questions or concerns about any aspect of the elections process, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at electionspenn-nec.org or by phone at (215) 310-5210. You may also contact Frank Colleluori, Chair of the Nominations & Elections Commitee (NEC), by email at [email protected]. Do not contact other NEC members with questions concerning the elections, as they wsimply refer you to one of us.

    Please ensure a fair election by reading and adhering to the rules in the FPC. I look forward to meeting you and wish you the best oluck and success with your campaign.

    Sincerely,Frederick DingVice Chair for Elections, Nominations & Elections Committee

    http://www.penn-nec.org/http://www.penn-nec.org/fpchttp://www.penn-nec.org/fpchttp://www.penn-nec.org/
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    Calendar of Events

    When What Where

    Wednesday, August 28, 2013 Candidate Packets publishedwww.penn-nec.orgorOSA/NEC Office in

    200 Houston Hall

    Monday, September 9, 2013 11 5 []Candidate Packets dueNEC Office,

    200 Houston Hall

    Monday, September 9, 2013 by 5 []Candidate Statement due www.penn-nec.org

    uesday, September 10, 2013 at 8 []Candidates' Meeting JMHH F36

    uesday, September 10, 2013 ~10 Endorsement Period begins once official

    candidate list is released followingthe Candidates' Meeting

    Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 7 Monetary Campaigning Period begins

    Sunday, September 15, 2013 10 12 Midnight Breakfast Hall of Flags, Houston Hall

    Monday, September 16, 2013 at 12 Online Voting begins

    www.pennstudgov.com

    Friday, September 20, 2013 at 5 Voting ends

    Friday, September 20, 2013 57 []Spending Formsand FPC Violation Charges due

    NEC Office,200 Houston Hall

    Friday, September 20, 2013 at 9 Results announced (if no violations filed) JMHH 240

    Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 1 Fair Practices Code Hearing

    (if violations filed)JMHH 255

    An electronic version of this calendar can be easily added to your own scheduling toolsseewww.penn-nec.org/elections.

    All efforts were made to accommodate the religious and cultural needs of candidates and voters .

    http://www.penn-nec.org/http://www.penn-nec.org/http://www.pennstudgov.com/http://www.penn-nec.org/elections/http://www.penn-nec.org/elections/http://www.pennstudgov.com/http://www.penn-nec.org/http://www.penn-nec.org/
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    Summary and Descriptions of Events

    Wednesday, August 28, 2013 Candidate Packets Made Available

    Packets are available for download at the NEC website (www.penn-nec.org) or may be picked up in the Office of Student Affairs, locaed in Houston Hall.

    Monday, September 9, 2013 Candidate Packets Due & DP Video Taping

    Please bring the following items with you to the NEC office in Houston Hall between : and : . (Keep in mind thatyou are running for two positions, you must turn in two separate sets of petitions with the proper number of signatures for each positioYou may photocopy signatures and submit them twice, provided they are of the proper constituency for each position.)

    . Candidate Information Form. Certificate of Candidacy. Petitions for Candidacy with sufficient number of signatures. Candidate Statement (hard copy, max words)

    You must come in person, as your picture will be taken for theDaily Pennsylvanianat this time. Tis is your only option for having youphoto published in the newspaper spread and the online DPCandidate Center. If you are unable to attend, please contact the VicChair for Elections, Frederick Ding, well in advance.

    I you wish to submit a candidate statement or theDPand the onlineDPCandidate Center,please submit it using the secure forthat will open shortly onwww.penn-nec.org. It may be no longer than words; excesses will be truncated. In the form, please includyour first and last nameas they appear on your application, and the position for which you are running. If you are running for more thaone position, you must submit a second statement (same or different as first) with your name and the second position. Candidate statments must be submitted by .

    You will also have the opportunity to be videotaped or the Daily Pennsylvanianwebsite.You will have seconds to answer thfollowing two questions:

    What is the most important issue facing Penns campus and/or students that you would like totackle as a member of the UA? What do you view as the most exciting event that the Class Board can plan this year? Tis may bean existing event or a new one that you have conceived.

    . What is something that you would like your prospective voters to know about you?

    Video taping will take place in the Office of Student Affairs from to on this day. You will be taped from the chest up anprops/accessories are prohibited. Copies of the taping will be made available to you aerwards if you wish to distribute the videos.

    Tuesday, September 10, 2013 Mandatory Candidates Meeting @ 8:00 pm

    Te location is F36 in Huntsman Hall. You will learn important information about the campaigning and elections process, and confirmyour personal information. If you do not attend this meeting and sign the Official Acknowledgement of Candidacy, your candidacy wbe terminated automatically. (Please contact the Vice Chair for Elections in advance if you cannot attend for any reason).

    Endorsement Period begins:When the official list of candidates is released later this evening, you may begin to seek endorsemenfrom campus organizations, and groups may begin to contact you for potential endorsements. Remember that groups may not spenany money on your behalf, and the UA and CB may not endorse your candidacy.

    http://www.penn-nec.org/http://www.penn-nec.org/
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    Summary and Descriptions of Events, continued

    Wednesday, September 11, 2013 Monetary Campaigning Period Begins @ 7:00 am

    You may begin campaigning using items of monetary value.

    Sunday, September 15, 2013 Midnight Breakfast @ 10:00 pm

    Midnight Breakfast is an event held to promote voter turnout and encourage candidates and constituents to discuss the issues. It will bheld from : to : in the Hall of Flags in Houston Hall. Te NEC strongly encourages you to attend and campaign, mevoters, and communicate with your fellow candidates.

    Monday, September 16, 2013 Online Voting Begins @ 12:00 am

    Voting will take place online atwww.pennstudgov.com.

    Friday, September 20, 2013 Online Voting Concludes @ 5:00 pm

    Candidates mustturn in their Spending Formsbetween the hours of : and : at the NEC Office in Houston HaLate orms will not be accepted.Charges of violations of the FPC will be accepted at this time as well.

    Friday, September 20, 2013 Voting Results Announced @ 9:00 pmif no violations were filed

    If no violations were filed, elections results will be announced at this meeting held at : in JMHH 240. Tis meeting is open tthe public. Shortly aer the meeting, results will be posted online atwww.penn-nec.org.

    Sunday, September 22, 2013 Fair Practices Code Hearing @ 1:00 pmif violations were filed

    If violations were filed, the charges will be heard at : in JMHH 255. Te NEC will deliberate and announce its decisions folowing the hearing. Immediately following the announcement of the NECs rulings, elections results will be announced. Te hearinand results meetings are open to the public, but the deliberations are closed. Shortly aer the results are announced, they will be posteonline atwww.penn-nec.org/elections/results/.

    http://www.pennstudgov.com/http://www.penn-nec.org/http://www.penn-nec.org/elections/results/http://www.penn-nec.org/elections/results/http://www.penn-nec.org/http://www.pennstudgov.com/
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    Becoming a Candidate

    I. Eligibility

    Any individual who, according to the University of Pennsylvania Registrar, is a current full-time student at the University mrun. Ineligible students are those who will be abroad during either semester of the academic year (Fall or Spring ).

    II. Positions

    A. Undergraduate Assembly

    Te Undergraduate Assembly is the elected, representative branch of Penn Stu-dent Government, charged with improving life for all students through funding,services, and advocacy. Te core of the UAs work is advocating for undergrad-uate interests to administrators, student groups, and the wider world. Te UAhas the flexibility and power to improve every element of life at Penn. As therepresentative organ of student government, the UA allocates approximately million to the six branches each yearmonethat eventually reaches almost every group on campus. Out of that, the UA reserves a , Contingency Fund to disburto student groups throughout the year and to fund an array of services spearheaded by UA members, including shuttles to thairport, free legal services, graduate school mentorship, and the PennApps Labs.

    On a day-to-day basis, the UA is run by a -member General Body, composed of upperclassmen elected in the Spring andfreshmen and transfers elected in the Fall.

    What do New Student Representatives do?

    A new student representative is a full-fledged representative on the UA, with full voting rights and all the responsibilities oan upperclassman member. All representatives have total freedom to work on the projects their constituents want most. Te

    amend and vote on the UAs million budget in the Spring semester and work with other UA members.

    All members attend weekly General Body Meetings held on Sundays at and weekly committee meetings scheduled durinthe week; theyre also expected to make regular progress on their projects and report on the same regularly.

    In addition, members have a mentor network to help them get a jump-start on making change. All members are appointed a UA committee based on their areas of interest, led by an upperclassman director. In addition, new student representatives aassigned a mentor from the Executive Board to make sure theyre integrated into student government from day .

    Finally, the top recipient of votes among the UA new student representatives is awarded a seat on the University CouncPenns top deliberative assembly, which includes the President, Provost, and other senior administrators.

    B. Class Boards

    Te purpose of the Class Boards is to provide so-cial programming that will instill a sense of classand school spirit, unity, and pride, as well as tobreak through social barriers. Each class pop-ularly elects a President, Executive Vice-Presi-dent, Vice-President of Finances, Vice-Presidentof Internal Affairs, Vice-President of ExternalAffairs, and Class Chairs from each school.

    Tere are eightseats up or election tothe Undergraduate Assembly.

    Te ollowing positions are open or the Class Board :

    PresidentExecutive Vice-President Vice-President o Finances Vice-President o Internal Affairs Vice-President o External Affairs

    College Class Chair ()Nursing Class ChairEngineering Class Chair Wharton Class Chair

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    Becoming a Candidate, continued

    Class Boards are responsible for organizing Penns greatest and most historic traditions, including Sophomore Skimmer, FeClub, Hey Day, Final oast, Walnut Walk, Ivy Day, and other events that are attended by hundreds of students. In recent yeathe boards have also successfully planned a person waterfront jazz and reggae concert, a bus trip to watch the Penn-Prineton football game at Princeton, parties at Philadelphia bars, outings to Philadelphia restaurants, ski trips, formal dances, studbreaks, community service events, and performing arts nights.

    Additionally, the members of the executive board are called on by various University departments to assist with and/or prmote a variety of events and integral student initiatives. Each year this includes participation in convocation, speaking at grauation ceremonies, and representing undergraduates at alumni functions. A significant partnership for each Class Board is withe department of Development and Alumni Relations, through the Penn raditions Program: a comprehensive approacto student programming, with the objective of creating student awareness and understanding of Penns institutional missiohistory, traditions, financing and philanthropic support, strengths, challenges, and goals. All Class Boards meet with the Penraditions staff in the fall following freshman elections, and the four-year collaboration culminates with the planning of Sniors for the Penn Fund, the annual senior class fundraising campaign.

    III. Petitioning for Candidacy

    A. Undergraduate Assembly Petitions (New Student Seats)

    In order to become an official candidate for the Undergraduate Assembly and have your name placed on the ballot, you muobtain at least signaturesfom members o the entering classthat is, freshmen of the Class of and transfer studenwho entered this fall . Electors may sign the petition of more than one prospective candidate. Please keep in mind that NEmembers are not allowed to sign petitions and thus their signatures will not count. A signature sheet is located in this packeyou can print additional copies of this sheet or pick up blanks from Houston Hall.

    B. Class Board Petitions

    Candidates for the following positions must obtain signaturesfom members o their own class onlythat is, freshmen of thClass of . Please keep in mind that NEC members are not allowed to sign petitions and thus their signatures will not coun

    i. President signaturesii. Executive Vice-President signatures

    iii. Vice-President of External Affairs signaturesiv. Vice-President of Internal Affairs signaturesv. Vice-President of Finances signatures

    Candidates for the following positions must obtain signaturesfom members o their own class who are in their home school.

    you are in a joint or dual-degree program, you may choose in which single school you would like to run, and must designate thon the Candidate Form and Certificate of Candidacy. Remember, students may only vote in their home school, and as such, you choose to run outside your programs home school, members of your program cannot vote for you.

    vi. College of Arts & Sciences Class Chair signaturesvii. Nursing Class Chair signatures

    viii. Engineering Class Chair signaturesix. Wharton Class Chair signatures

    Note:If you are running for both CB and the UA, you may count UA petition signatures toward your CB candidacy as lonas they fulfill any school-specific requirements (for class chairs).

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    Becoming a Candidate, continue

    IV. Other

    A. Spending Forms

    All candidates must submit a spending orm.Candidates may not exceed the spending limit o $50.00. (Additional spendinguidelines are provided on the sample spending form included in this packet). Candidates who utilize nothing of monetavalue in their campaign must still turn in this form.

    Failure to turn in this orm will result in immediate and automatic disqualification,as it is a violation of the FPC. o acommodate instances of extenuating circumstances, the NEC has allowed a provision that allows candidates to appeal thedisqualification. See ... of the FPC for more information on this policy.

    B. Charges o FPC Violation

    If you believe that another student or the NEC has unfairly biased the election or violated the Fair Practices Code, you may fia charge against that party using the violation form included in this packet and available online.Violation orms, i any, mube returned to the NEC in the NEC office in Houston Hall rom : pm until : pm on Friday, September ,

    Any charges filed will be e-mailed to all candidates by : of the same evening. If you are charged with a violation, you whave the opportunity to defend yourself against the charge at the FPC Hearing.

    C. Postering, Email, Social Media, and Electronic Communications

    Te NEC sets limited regulations for postering, listserv, and social media campaigning, which are all defined in the FPC.

    In addition to our regulations, the University of Pennsylvania has policies that affect postering and electronic communicationTese policies can be found on the NEC's website under Elections Central.While the NEC does not specifically enforce the

    policies, it is strongly recommended that you adhere to them; departments of the University, including the Office of StudeConduct (OSC), will handle violations of its policies.

    Further explanation of these items will be addressed at the Candidates Meeting.

    D. Communications with the NEC

    While the Vice Chair for Elections (VCE) will send email and text message broadcasts about important deadlines and policieit is your responsibility to read policies and ask for clarification. o facilitate this process, you may use one of the followinchannels, in order of our preference:

    i. Q&A sitefor clarifications about the FPC and NEC regulations onlywww.penn-nec.org/questions

    ii. Email the [email protected]

    iii. ext or call the elections number(215) 310-5210

    Clarifications from the VCE and NEC Chair are binding unless retracted within hours ., ...

    http://www.penn-nec.org/elections/policies-documents/http://www.penn-nec.org/questionsmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.penn-nec.org/questionshttp://www.penn-nec.org/elections/policies-documents/
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    Candidate Information Form

    Please print legibly.We strongly urge you to complete this form electronically.

    Name

    Penn ID

    Phone

    Your School

    and Year

    Penn Email

    Position(s) or which you are running (check UA and/or oneCB position)

    UA New Student Rep PresidentExecutive VPVP of External AffairsVP of Internal AffairsVP of FinancesCollege Class ChairEngineering Class ChairNursing Class ChairWharton Class Chair

    Name as you would like it to appear on the ballot (case sensitive)

    Are you submitting a candidate statement or theDPand onlineDPCandidate Center?

    Yes No

    Would you like your picture published next to your candidate statement?

    Yes No

    Would you like to be videotaped answering the two questions onpage or the onlineDPCandidate Center?

    Yes No

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    NEC Use Only

    University School

    Member Signature

    10

    Certificate of Candidacy

    I, , do hereby petition the Nominations & Elections Committee to place my namon the ballot for the representation to the Undergraduate Assembly and/or Class Board for the academic year.

    I hereby certify that I am enrolled as a full-time undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania.

    I further certify that I have read and understood the Fair Practices Code and the Candidate Packet, and agree to conduct my campaigin full accordance with the FPC.

    Signature

    Date

    UA Certification

    Signature

    Date

    School or Program

    i joint/dual-degree, school in which you will run

    Candidacy Position

    Year

    CB Certification

    specify your program only if joint/dual-degree (e.g., M&T)

    specify only if joint/dual-degree and running for Class Chair

    X

    X

    2017

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    Instructions for Petition for Candidacy

    Candidates,

    Following this introduction are a) a template cover sheet, and b) a blank petition form. You may print as many pages of the petition formas needed to reach the minimum thresholds listed on pages ; extra copies are available in Houston Hall.

    In order to ensure a fair and equal petitioning opportunity for all of you, a template cover sheet has been attached on the next page. Tcover sheet is for you to use in situations when you need to explain why you are asking fellow students for signatures but cannot verbalcommunicate this information to them (for example, in a classroom setting).

    If you plan to use the cover sheet, first fill in the information requested at the top of the page. Additionally, there is a "" box for yoto convey any additional messages to your fellow students. Please follow these rules:

    Personal messages mustbe written in inkand/or printed by computer in ink. If used, you must submit this cover sheetas-is to the NEC alongside your petition.

    No additional add-ons are to be presented alongside the petition form to fellow students besides the cover sheet. Tisincludes, but is not limited to, writing on subsequent pages, additional writing on the template sheet beyond the boxmargins provided, extra papers, and flyers.

    You may choose not to use the template cover sheet. If you so decide, you may notsubstitute it with another page, andmust present the petition form on its own.

    Te following rules also apply to petition forms:

    As a candidate, you maysign once for your own petition, and you may sign other candidates petitions. NEC membersmay not sign any petitions, and thus their signatures will not be counted toward your requirements.

    You must notprefill or complete any part of the petition table on behalf of a signatory.

    Failure to adhere to these rules may result in disqualification rom candidacy.

    As always, if you have any additional questions about this process, do not hesitate to contact me. Tank you for your cooperation, anenjoy meeting your peers during this petitioning period.

    Frederick Ding

    Vice Chair for Elections, Nominations & Elections Committee

    [email protected](215) 310-5210

    mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
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    Petition for Candidacy to the Undergraduate Assembly and/or Class Board

    Candidate Name

    Phone

    School and Year

    Penn Email

    Dear student: the person named above is seeking candidacy or the Undergraduate Assembly (UA) and/or the Class Board , andrequires a number o signatures fom peers to be placed on the ballot. I you wish to join this petition, please sign on the pages ollowing.

    Running or UA

    New Student Representative

    Running or CB, in the position o:

    Candidates: insert any personal messages in the box above. As a reminder, only pen or computer printing may be used. Do NOT

    write additional information outside the box or attach additional sheets, as doing so may lead to disqualification.

    NEC Use Only

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    Petition for Candidacy to the Undergraduate Assembly and/or Class Board

    Candidate Name

    Phone

    School and Year

    Penn Email

    Running or UANew Student Representative

    Running or CB, in the position o:

    Valid Signatures otal Signatures Member Initials

    Name School Year Penn Email

    1

    2

    34

    5

    6

    7

    8

    9

    10

    11

    12

    13

    14

    15

    16

    17

    18

    19

    2021

    22

    23

    24

    25

    We the undersigned hereby petition that the aorementioned student be placed on the ballot

    or election to the Undergraduate Assembly / Class Board o the University o Pennsylvania.

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    Instructions for Spending Form

    Reminder:Te spending limit for all candidates, regardless of the number of positions for which you run, is ..

    All items on your spending form are to be accompanied by a receipt or quote from a local merchant unless the following prices or greatprices are used:

    Marker: $0.50/marker Chalk: $0.13/stick Printing/copies (."" white paper, ): $0.05/side Printing/copies (."" white paper, color): $0.30/side Printing/copies (."" colored paper, ): $0.12/side Printing/copies (."" colored paper, color): $0.40/side Web site domain (e.g., voteswi.com) $12.00

    For budgeting purposes, it may help to keep track of your expenses as you spend. If you have any questions or are unsure about somethinrelating to your spending form, please contact the Vice Chair for Elections beoreyou turn in your form.

    Sample Spending Form

    Item Unit Price Qty Total Price

    afer tax,

    1 Marker $ 0.50 2 $ 1.00

    2 B&W posters 0.05 50 2.50

    3 Facebook sidebar ads (cost per click) 0.76 6 4.56

    4 Foam boards 1.99 3 6.455

    6

    Total Spent $ 14.51

    All items of monetary value used to campaign except adhesives must be listed above and accompanied

    by receipts and/or quotes from local merchants to establish the fair market value of materials obtained

    by other means, unless the standard rates on the instructions page are used.

    I hereby attest the above figures are accurate and in accord with the regulations set forth in the Fair

    Practices Code and described at the Candidates Meeting.

    Signature

    Date

    X John A. Student

    2013-09-20

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    Official Spending Form

    Candidate Name

    Phone

    School and Year

    Penn Email

    Running or UANew Student Representative

    Running or CB, in the position o:

    Member Signature

    Item Unit Price Qty Total Price

    (incl taxes, , ees)

    1

    2

    3

    4

    56

    7

    8

    9

    10

    11

    12

    13

    14

    15

    Total Spent

    All items of monetary value used to campaign except adhesives must be listed above and accompanied by receipts and/or quotes from local

    merchants to establish the fair market value of materials obtained by other means, unless the standard rates on the instructions page are use

    I hereby attest the above figures are accurate and in accord with the regulations set forth in the Fair Practices Code and described at thCandidates Meeting.

    Signature

    Date

    X