Academic Affairs candidate sanctioned for not complying with sanction
By Yun Kyung (Anny) Kim
April 28, 2017 3:33 p.m.
The undergraduate student government election board sanctioned a candidate Thursday for not complying with a previous sanction.
The board issued a fourth sanction to independent Academic Affairs commissioner candidate Divya Sharma for social media campaigning while still being sanctioned.
On Tuesday, Sharma received a sanction for violating media advertising regulations. The board ruled that Sharma had engaged in paid media advertising prior to leafleting times, and prohibited him from social media campaigning from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday.
The board filed a complaint Thursday night, which reported that Sharma had made multiple comments on a Facebook post regarding his platforms during sanctioned times.
The election board oversees the Undergraduate Students Association Council elections, and mandates that campaigning material can only be distributed between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Thursday next week, and between 7 a.m to 3 p.m May 5, according to the board’s official calendar.
Sharma said that he did not comply with the sanction because a Facebook post made by a student inaccurately interpreted one of his platforms. The post suggested that Sharma would bring divestment to the council table through his sanctuary campus platform.
“I think it’s important students have a clear understanding of what my platform is,” Sharma said. “Having students questions me is healthy and constructive but passing on information that is not correct to slander me is not how one wins.”
The board said that Sharma is prohibited from social media campaigning from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Friday.
Click here for full coverage of the 2017 USAC elections.
