As the elections approach, the hopefuls for Tempe Undergraduate Student Government unceasingly campaign for its top job: Tempe USG president. (A topic that more undergrads should be interested in than actually are, but that’s a story for another day.)
Putting aside all of my pent-up aggression and disappointment for what is occasionally an inconsistent and misrepresentative organization, I will admit that one candidate has caught my attention and seems to be pulling ahead.
This lead is not based entirely on its noble goals or initiatives, but instead on its unmatched and innovative use of social media and overall organizational skills.
"I've only heard of the girl with the blue," economics junior Kiley Shanks said. "McCaleb, I think?"
The "girl with the blue," Tempe USG Chief of Staff Emily McCaleb, flawlessly unveiled her campaign with the perfect balance of on-campus signage, real time social networking and T-shirt distribution.
Her ticket, which also includes community and local affairs director Rachel Snyder and special events director Brandon Long, has rolled out a website of the best kind.
Easy to navigate and brandishing their signature bright blue and white color scheme, the website is far from hard on the eyes. It summarizes their goals and initiatives and shows the personal side of each candidate in a short self-written description.
Nicolas Parra has almost no social media presence that I've seen, except for his fraternity brothers changing their Facebook profile pictures. Who made his website? It's not that hard to make a website look good — yet Parra clashes orange with blue while randomly placing clip-art style images on his campaign promise page.
Cass Possehl, on the other hand, uses type that's too small while putting a blindingly green theme against a voter's eye, reminding me of the Waste Management logo.
Along with the website, the McCaleb ticket created a "Vote McCaleb 2014" Facebook page, which has more than 600 hundred likes to date.
The real attention grabber is their Twitter page which had a "#WhyWednesday" hashtag event, inviting students to share their reasoning for supporting the McCaleb ticket. The event spurred the use of hashtags such as "#RedWhiteAndMcCaleb."
McCaleb 2014 also went as far as interacting with the newly elected Associated Students of UA President Issac Ortega, congratulating him on his recent victory and expressing excitement to collaborate with the UA student government on an intramural level version of the popular Territorial Cup Series.
"That's a really exciting idea and I absolutely love it! Can't wait to see what the future holds!" replied Ortega from his Twitter account on March 20.
The use of Twitter allows the McCaleb ticket to engage with and encourage participation from followers and potential supporters in a short but effective manner. As every PR expert knows, social media is the way of the future and the best way to connect with the millennial generation. We're all about instant gratification.
The decision to go with bright blue and white was also a well thought out one, as their T-shirts, signage and social media pictures are easy to recognize and connect to the campaign. Other colors blend in with those placed by other organizations and ASU Sustainability projects, making them easy to ignore.
While some campaigners are relying on their connections with Greek life and clubs to pull them to the top, McCaleb, Snyder and Long are using technology and personalization to connect with more undergraduate students outside of their usual niches.
The three executive board aspirants are running a noteworthy campaign — creating a healthy and steadily growing buzz while maintaining the integrity and spirit the ticket holds.
If the running of this campaign is any indication of how the McCaleb ticket would lead USG Tempe and fight for the rights of undergraduates at ASU, it is safe to say that we might finally have an executive board that will give us the representation we deserve.
Reach the columnist at mjrodr11@asu.edu and follow her on Twitter @mikayrodr
