TelegRAM sends students to candidate’s Web site

The VCU TelegRAM, a twice-weekly e-mail sent to students about campus events, misdirected students to a candidate’s Web site instead of the official Student Government Association voting Web site.

The first item in the e-mail said that elections “will be held online… at http://www.VCUorDie.com”, the Web site of the executive team of Bruce Vann for president, Justin Greene for vice president and Melissa Hodges for executive director of university relations.

The error was caught and a retraction e-mail was sent at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, some 14 hours after the original message. The retraction explained the error and said it “should not imply that VCU TelegRAM endorses any candidate in the elections.” It also provided the correct links.

Justin Greene, who submitted the message and whose e-mail is listed for more information, said he was using the forum “like any student has the opportunity to do.”

“There is an issue of them endorsing us, but that was not my intention,” Greene said Tuesday night. “My intention was just to use it as a form of publicity.”

He said it provided publicity for the SGA in general. Around 10 percent of Monroe Park Campus students voted in last year’s elections.

William Moehl, campaign manager for Vann’s group, said it was the same as sending a Blackboard memo.

“This TelegRAM message doesn’t say vote for Bruce Vann. It says there is a Web site and there is a link to vote,” Moehl said.

All three executive teams’ websites have links to the SGA voting sites, where students can login and vote for executive and senate candidates.

Eddie O’Leary, the current SGA President, sees things differently.

“It was the worst elections violation we have ever had,” O’Leary said Wednesday. “I feel like not only was I betrayed and the student government betrayed, but the entire student body is being misled. It was an extremely dishonest tactic.”

He said he had filed a grievance with the SGA’s judicial board over the TelegRAM message. He has also placed two people presumed to be involved on leave of absence from their current positions.

“My hope is that if they are found guilty that they’re disqualified from the election,” he said.

Opposing candidates said the message will impact how students vote.

Tyler Bass, who is running for President, said it will help Vann.

“It will help Bruce,” he said Tuesday night. “If people hear the name they’re going to win it.”

Ali Faruk, the third presidential candidate, agreed with Bass.

“I think it will help them because it came out sounding really official. It was the first thing on the TelegRAM. It went out to a lot of students. I’m sure it helped them.”

O’Leary had harsher words.

“If the students are looking for dishonesty and misrepresentation, it will help the Vann camp,” he said. “I have faith in (Greene), but I think the TelegRAM sends the wrong message.”

University News Services, which sends the TelegRAM along with Creative Services and Technology Services, said the time element put Greene’s message at the top of the e-mail.

“It was neatened up to shorten it to fit. The link remained and it clearly shouldn’t have,” said Anne Buckley, Associate Director of UNS. “The veracity and the accuracy of the submissions is the responsibility of the person making the submission.”

Faruk said he was upset it had gone through.

“I think they messed up. I like the idea of the TelegRAM but I hate the way they do it,” he said. “I feel like they have weird ideas for what should and shouldn’t go out to students, and I think they censor the messages too much.”

Bass said it spoke poorly of the university.

“It shows the university is not paying much attention to the election,” he said.

Greene and Faruk said they have had trouble getting notices in the TelegRAM in their respective roles in the SGA.

“I submitted two or three requests right when the TelegRAM came out, and they never posted it,” Greene said.

Faruk said he had succeeded in getting one notice, but they hadn’t used several others on topics of interests to students.

“I, as an SGA member, have send so many messages that have not gone through,” he said.

O’Leary worked around the TelegRAM in publicizing the elections. As president, he can – and did – send a mass e-mail to students about the election.

“I found that that would be the most effective way,” he said.

All three candidates have rallied support online. They all have Web sites and groups on the popular networking Web site www.thefacebook.com.

Vann said his Facebook group was critical to winning his Senate seat. He won 547 votes, nearly a quarter of the 2,100 cast.

“Facebook helped me tremendously. Mass messaging people through Facebook helped me quite a bit,” he said.

O’Leary said he was the first to campaign on Facebook, having a group with 1,100 members. Now it’s worn thin, he said.

“I looked at my inbox yesterday and there were 17 messages asking me to vote for them,” he said.

Faruk said Facebook has lost it’s effectiveness because so many candidates have sent out invites indiscriminately.

“I’ve got messages saying ‘I voted for you because you didn’t sent out a million messages,’ ” he said.

Voting concludes Thursday. While unofficial results will available soon after, the election must be certified by the SGA Judicial Branch, who will sort out grievances.