USUSA candidate penalized for parents campaigning in campus housing

A Utah State University Student Association presidential candidate was disciplined for handing out flyers in the Student Living Center, a violation of one USU Housing policy and four USUSA election bylaws.

Rhett Ballantyne’s parents were handing out flyers encouraging students to vote for him in various Student Living Center buildings, said two residents of the Student Living Center. The flyers were posted throughout the buildings and slipped under apartment doors.

Nathon Taylor, a resident assistant in SLC and candidate for diversity and organizations vice president, filed a grievance against Ballantyne. Ballantyne said he was called into a grievance hearing Wednesday at 11 a.m., where a confidential board of students discussed the matter and decided on a sanction for Ballantyne.

Taylor argued that Ballantyne was in violation of bylaw V.C.b., which states “campaigning within campus buildings is subject to the approval and reasonable limitations of the appropriate colleges and/or departments. It is the candidate’s responsibility to receive permission prior to any campaign-related activity.”

As a sanction, Ballantyne was barred from campaigning for three hours, but Ballantyne said he appealed this decision. In 2017, Keaton Whitney, a candidate for student events vice president, was called in to the hearing board after distributing campaign materials in Oakridge Apartments, an off-campus housing complex. The race results were delayed over a week, and Whitney was ultimately disqualified.

Housing and Residence Life policies state “absolutely no door-to-door solicitation is permitted in or on Housing facilities without prior written authorization from the Director for Residence Life. … All posted advertisements (banners, flyers, posters, etc.) must have our prior authorization. … Further, flyers may not be distributed door to door, including placing information under residents’ doors. … Flyers and banners that advertise commercial products or services or include political messages from political candidates are not permitted. Flyers and banners posted in approved locations in residential buildings must be submitted to the Prostaff/manager for the residential building two business days prior to the desired posting date.” Taylor said other resident assistants had noticed the Ballantynes posting fliers and directed them to residence director Erika Lindstrom, who disapproved the fliers and ordered they be taken down.

The grievance board hearing is meant to be entirely confidential, but two people in the hearing said Ballantyne’s roommate, Jaren Hunsaker, both sat on the board and actively participated in both the hearing with Ballantyne and the deliberation afterward. Both people involved said they saw this as a conflict of interest.

Jaren Hunsaker currently serves as USUSA president, which normally serves as an alternate on the hearing board. Members of the hearing board are required to be unbiased and have the option of recusing themselves where there may be a conflict of interest. Hunsaker did not recuse himself.

Ballantyne knew this was against the bylaws, but said he did not know his parents would be campaigning in the Student Living Center.

“I thought they were going to apartments near my house,” he said.

The bylaws state a candidate is responsible for anyone campaigning for them, and Ballantyne said he takes responsibility for his parents.

Hunsaker did not respond to requests for comment.