Letter: Miller/Mallett statements don’t add up

I am writing concerning “Controversy Hits Student Elections” (in the March 28 edition of The Spectrum).

The following are quotes from the article — keep them in mind:

“ The complaint filed by (James) Klein and (Dean) Lefor asks that ‘maximum punishment be imposed for this campaign violation.’”

“ Mallett said the intentions for the complaint filed was simply so Pulse would have a separate booth, not to disqualify Adelman/Eiler.”

I would like to say a small piece about the article and the complaint filed against the Adelman/Eiler campaign.

First, let me mention that I’m a math major. I’m not a politician, but a concerned student — and one whose major trains me to spot discrepancies.

And, in seeking fairness, that might come in handy.

A look at the two quotes from yesterday’s article, if they truly and accurately represent the folks mentioned, can lead me to only one of two conclusions:

1. There is a disconnect between the ideals of Miller and Mallett and their campaign managers — they’re definitely not sending the same message.

2. Somebody (or more than one somebody) at the top of the Miller/Mallett campaign believes in saying one thing and acting in a way contrary to that. That’s a lack of integrity.

If Miller/Mallett were truly seeking to have Pulse in a separate booth from that of the Adelman/Eiler campaign, why on earth did they go through the courts?

With their great experience, they would surely know the courts take longer to process a case than the time from the complaint filed until the actual Pulse event.

Although they wished a neutral third party to help out (which I applaud), why the courts? Anybody accommodating enough to share their campaign booth with another event probably would be quite willing to listen to a small delegation of concerned students asking them to split up — and that’s the sort of thing I would expect from experienced student-politicians Miller and Mallett.

Why didn’t it happen?

Something doesn’t add up.

Jesse Trana
Junior
Computer Science and Mathematics