By CHRISTIE ROBINS
christie@du2.byu.edu
The only two student leaders elected by the student body are BYUSA's president and executive vice president. Active campaigning for these positions does not start until February, but BYUSA Coordinator Jon Kau said election planning has already begun.
Kau and Brian Bowers, BYUSA president, conducted an informational meeting Thursday for students interested in running. Five students attended.
Kau said the informational meeting is generally for students not very familiar with BYUSA, and he was surprised at the turnout.
'More people are here than I thought would be here; it's good to see them here. Usually people planning on running don't want to show their faces at meetings like this,' Kau said.
Students interested in running for BYUSA president or executive vice president must have at least two semesters of BYUSA leadership experience and follow certain campaign regulations.
Kau said the experience is needed because of the short amount of time in office.
'It's an intense time. They only have one year to get things done,' Kau said.
Mike Nielson, 25, a senior from Visalia, Calif., majoring in Spanish, and an assistant to Kau, said students wanting to run for office should have a serious notion of what they're getting into. He said they must be dedicated and willing to do the job right.
'The BYUSA president represents BYUSA, the university, the student body, its mission, values and goals,' Nielson said.
As for the campaign regulations, Bowers said they are used to level the playing field.
'Pre-campaign rules help keep the elections fair. You're given a certain amount of money to run your campaign and you can't go outside of that or take any donations,' Bowers said.
BYUSA Executive Vice President Karen Duffin said the campaign rules are necessary to maintain a good spirit at BYU.
'When you're involved in something you care so much about, it's easy to lose your focus. There's no logic in going out to bash the opponent because that's not attractive,' Duffin said.
The vice presidents of the five branches of BYUSA are not elected by the student body and no previous experience with BYUSA is required. They are interviewed and appointed by BYUSA's president and executive vice president.
BYUSA's Student Advisory Council Secretary Dayna Baglow said this is an effective process.
'There's always going to be a lot of people vying for a vice president position, but that's good because then you always get the best,' said Baglow, 19, a sophomore from Westlake Village, Calif., majoring in classic civilizations and recreation management.