E-mail controversy increases passion for office, Wood says
With recent controversy in the election of his office, Josh Wood says the experience has increased his passion for promoting diversity on campus next year as a newly elected member of the Associated Students of Utah State University Executive Council.
As Campus Organizations and Diversity Vice President-elect, Wood said an e-mail that had circulated throughout campus last week attacking his opponent, Rusty Rigby, had him worried students would associate him with the content of the message.
“Initially, I was worried about it. Obviously, I tried to meet with as many people as I could during the election, but there is just a lot of people that you just don’t meet during your campaigning,” Wood said. “Obviously, with having the position of diversity vice president, I felt that it was really important for people to understand that I simply do not endorse any language that is meant to hurt another USU student or make them feel unwelcome.”
To his knowledge, Wood said he does not recognize the name of the student who sent the e-mail in question. During the election process, ASUSU Executive Council candidates were informed that it was legal to ask club presidents to endorse a candidate, Wood said.
The club presidents could then send an e-mail to their club, saying “Hey, we support Josh. We think he would do a good job. Here’s his qualifications,” he said.
Wood said he did ask some club presidents to endorse him, and those club presidents sent an e-mail stating reasons to vote for Wood. Neither one of them mentioned anything about Rigby, Wood said.
“I made clear when I asked them to write those e-mails to mention only me and my qualifications. E-mails that they sent out were exactly that.”
However, a USU student who was familiar with the race and had received the e-mail along the line, decided to add his views on the election, Wood said. He then attached his statement, which attacked Rigby’s character, to the same e-mails that had been previously sent out and “basically sent that back to everyone who had received it before,” he said.
Concerns rose when it appeared to have originated with the club presidents endorsing Wood. The confusion persisted in an article in Friday’s Utah Statesman, Wood said.
“People didn’t know if this particular e-mail about Rusty started with my supporters or started somewhere else down the line,” he said.
Tiffany Evans, director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, said she hasn’t seen a campaign situation quite like this before.
“This particular situation is different than any other student election process I’ve ever seen, because I think people have a tendency to equate the situation with the individual in office,” Evans said.
Yet, Wood’s concerns have passed and said he thinks this won’t have too much of an impact on his position next year. Since the incident, Wood said he has spoken with Rigby and things are fine between the two.
“[Wood] apologized that the e-mail happened and that he didn’t agree with the e-mail. He wanted to clear up with me that he wasn’t affiliated with it,” Rigby said.
“It seemed as though everyone thought there was an issue between me and Rusty, except me and Rusty,” Wood said.
Others are sure it is the work Wood will do in his office next year that will have the greatest impact on what the student body thinks of him, and not recent controversy.
“This whole experience has only gone on to increase my already strong desire to improve diversity and to promote, and actively seek out, coordination of all walks of life at USU,” Wood said.
Through the events of this last week, Wood said he would like to see other students learn the same lesson he has.
“In a university setting we obviously harbor and value free speech and the expression of ideas. But there is a fine line where you simply go from expressing your own views, and your stepping over into somebody’s else’s lifestyle,” he said.
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu