On Grounds organizations were an amplified presence in this semester's turbulent Student Council elections due to an increased number of endorsements and heightened campaigning by endorsing groups, according to elections officials.
Six organizations, The Coalition, College Republicans, University Democrats, First Year Council, The Cavalier Daily and the Greek community representing the Multi-Cultural Greek Council, the Inter-Sorority Council, the Black Fraternal Council and the Inter-Fraternity Council, endorsed Student Council candidates with varying degrees of success.
Candidates in contested races endorsed by the Coalition enjoyed a 71 percent success rate. Those endorsed by the College Republicans won 40 percent of their races. Candidates endorsed by the Greek community and the University Democrats won 66 percent and 70 percent of their races respectively. Candidates supported by First Year Council were successful in 50 percent of their races. Eighty percent of candidates supported by The Cavalier Daily were victorious.
Council elections committee chair Julie Teater said endorsing organizations were especially active this spring.
"In past years endorsement organizations haven't done a whole lot beyond flyering and painting bridges," Teater said. "This year endorsement organizations had a lot more involvement than in past years."
Inter-Fraternity Council President Phil Trout said his organization owes its traditional influence in Council election in part to it large size.
"We're one of the largest interest groups on Grounds," he said.
Trout said Greek life's social structure also aids in the dissemination of their leaders' views on the candidates they've chosen to endorse.
"You meet weekly with chapter to distribute news and information," Trout said.
Trout added, however, that members of the University community who are most influenced by the endorsement of the Greek community may not be the most likely to vote.
"The minority groups have strong turnout because they feel their voice needs to be heard more than other groups who don't need to feel so concerned about their place on grounds," Trout said.
University Democrats President Ian Amelkin said the success of candidates endorsed by his and other organizations was a result of rigorous campaigning and outreach.
"We maintain an extremely robust email list," he said. "We are one of the few endorsing organizations to go out and campaign for candidates."
This strategy has been very successful, Amelkin said. He estimated approximately three-fourths of candidates endorsed by his organization in past elections have won election.
Teater said endorsements serve a number of valuable purposes for potential voters.
"They give groups an opportunity to ask issue-specific questions and they give the student body an opportunity to focus more on the issues relevant to specific groups," Teater said. "Additionally, endorsements allow students not affiliated with a particular organization to see where candidates stand on certain issues."
Teater added, however, that the current endorsement process needs reform to ensure fairness and efficiency.
"I think that the idea of endorsements is very positive, because it gets people actively involved in campaigning but its very hard to control," Teater said. "I'm positive that the elections reform ad hoc committee will discuss the role of endorsing organizations at length."
The committee will decide who will be allowed to endorse and how to regulate the endorsement process in future elections, she added.
Kirsten Sides, who chaired the First Year Council's endorsement panel, said she hoped the reform process would continue to allow for her organization to endorse.
"I would hope that First Year Council would be allowed to and encouraged to endorse since we are an organization that starts out the year being the only voice for first year students," Sides said. "We have a responsibility to have a political voice."
Coalition Chair Ryan McCarthy's also supported an inclusive endorsement process.
"With endorsements we are able to get voices to the forefront that aren't always heard," he said. "This shows the power in uniting as a collective voice, as a unified front."
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