Several candidates for student office woke up Saturday morning to discover that some of their carefully planned, meticulously painted A-frames were missing.
While the signs later were found strewn around the steps of Wilson Library and several other locations throughout campus, candidates were worried about the consequences stemming from a vital part of their campaigns going missing.
During election season, students often realize that one of the most important parts of any campaign is publicity. As a result, the campus is littered with signs displaying a variety of logos, from “26,878 Students, One Unified Vision” to “Answer the Bell” signs featuring the cast from Saved by the Bell.
Candidates have tried to embed parts of their platform in their logos and other distributed items.
“We basically wanted all our material to be substantive so that people would know what we’re about,” said Tom Jensen, candidate for student body president. The main goal of his campaign, he said, is to reach students who do not actively research the election.
Some questions have been raised concerning candidate Seth Dearmin’s use of the John Deere logo because of possible legal implications with trademark laws.
Dearmin has been using “Nothing Runs Like a Dearmin” as his campaign slogan but decided Sunday night to replace it with “Making Life Easier.”
Dearmin and his campaign manager, Adrian Johnston, said they researched the situation and do not believe they have done anything wrong.
“We absolutely believe that we’re in the clear, but we’re going to issue a statement removing the logo,” Johnston said. “We want to spend time on issues, not the logo.”
