By JOE DANA and JESSE HYDE
online@du2.byu.edu
Darrin Zwick and John Jacobs officially ended their campaign for the BYUSA presidency Thursday night, Feb. 17, after a day of meetings with the election credentials committee.
'After long discussions with the credentials committee and reviewing the requirements for this particular office with them, we now understand that we do not fully meet the necessary criteria,' Zwick and Jacobs said in a statement released late Thursday night. 'In order to stay true to our principles and to be fair to the other candidates, we have decided to withdraw from the election. We believe this has been a valuable experience. We want to thank those people who have supported and stood by us.'
The two met with the BYUSA credential committee, comprised of representatives from SAC and committee advisor Anne Rumsey. The committee met for more than five hours to hear testimonies about the candidates' qualifications for office.
'It's been an exhausting and heart-touching night that deepens my appreciation for each individual involved and for the faith that unites us,' said BYUSA Adviser Dave Lucero, who also participated in the meetings.
Lucero said the votes cast for Zwick and Jacobs will be discounted and the election will continue as scheduled. Polls close tonight at 5 p.m.
An article in Wednesday's Daily Universe cited sources questioning Zwick and Jacobs' qualifications to run for office. The application forms of the two men indicated they were Student Advisory Council representatives for one year, one of the qualifications to run for the presidency.
SAC representatives, however, disputed that claim.
Both Zwick and Jacobs said they thought they were SAC representatives in Fall 1998 and served through Winter 1999. SAC officials said Zwick and Jacobs weren't interviewed to become representatives until Winter 1999.
Prior to the meeting with the credentials committee, Jacobs said the committee was to blame for the confusion. He said the committee had a month to verify the candidates' qualifications and shouldn't have waited until the elections were up and running.
'In the past I believe the credentials committee met with the candidates before the election, which we would have had no problem with,' Jacobs said.
Jacobs attributes the problems that plagued his campaign to miscommunication. He said until the elections committee reviewed his credentials Thursday afternoon, he thought he had served as a SAC member for one year. Zwick said he thought the same thing.
'It was clear to me that I was a SAC representative in the fall,' Zwick said. 'I mean that's why I put it on the application. I wouldn't have put it there thinking, 'Oh, I hope I don't get caught.' I put it there because that's honestly what I thought.'
Some SAC members said they found this hard to believe. Ryan Olson, who served as an executive director of SAC from Fall 1998 to Winter 1999, said it would be 'impossible to not know whether or not you're a SAC representative.'
Olson said SAC members dress formally for Tuesday meetings and wear SAC polo shirts and nametags for Thursday meetings.
SAC is made up of 39 students that represent 13 special interest groups and the 13 major colleges.
Zwick said in Fall 1998 he replaced SAC member Hubbell Palmer as an at-large candidate. In Fall 1998 and Winter 1999 Zwick said he did everything a SAC representative does; he attended SAC meetings, met at least monthly with College Councils.
Audrey Perry served as the head of the committee Zwick said he belonged to in 1998. She said Zwick was not a representative until Winter 1999. Hubbell Palmer, the at-large representative Zwick said he replaced, served as a SAC member until the end of Fall 1998.
Zwick said it was never clear to him what it meant to be a SAC representative. He said it was a 'gray area.' Jacobs said he was also confused.
Jacobs said he became a SAC representative in Fall of 1998. He said SAC was disorganized and he didn't remember an interview or application process.
Ryan Olson, who served as the head of the committee Jacobs said he belonged to, said Jacobs didn't become a SAC representative until Winter 1999. Olson said SAC doesn't have any major organizational problems. He said he had documented the dates of the interview with Jacobs as Feb. 4. Both Zwick and Jacobs said if they had known the election would have led to so much anxiety they wouldn't have run for office.
'The election is meaningless. What's way more important is our character and integrity. The election is at the bottom of the totem pole compared to that,' Jacobs said.
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