High hopes were not met as candidates for Duke Student Government's 2006-2007 executive offices crowded around an empty lecture hall in the Terry Sanford Institute for Public Policy Wednesday night.
The contenders arrived at Sanford prepared to share their platforms with members of student organizations, who traditionally choose candidates to endorse.
No students were present, so the forum was cancelled.
DSG representatives proposed multiple possible explanations for the lack of attendees.
DSG Attorney General Bryce Walker, a senior, is coordinating the election. He said the forum was planned to reflect needs described to him by members of the InterCommunity Council.
"We did this because they wanted it," Walker said, adding that he believed word of the forum had been adequately spread. "As far as I knew, they knew about it."
If the forum had occurred, Wednesday would have marked the first time DSG had held such an event.
The goal was to simplify the traditional endorsement process by which each campus organization would meet separately with individual candidates.
Junior Matthew Hoekstra, a member of DSG's election commission and a senator on DSG's Athletics and Campus Services Committee, shared the belief that ICC groups were aware of the forum. He attributed the lack of turnout to student apathy.
"My initial reaction is that a bunch of groups just dropped the ball," Hoekstra noted. "If they don't want to be here, they won't show up, and that's what happened."
Walker said he sent an email to ICC Chair Logan Leinster, a senior. He said he assumed that Leinster would inform ICC members of the event and that they would spread word of it among their respective organizations.
Leinster said she allowed Walker to speak at an ICC meeting, adding that she was not responsible for any other part of the election process.
"That's not part of my job," Leinster said. "I just facilitated discussion."
She added that several ICC members were not present because they attended a different meeting at the time of the forum.
DSG President Jesse Longoria, a senior, said members of DSG expected attendance from the general student population, not just ICC group leaders.
"It was an attempt to incorporate more people," Longoria said. "We're just trying to open up the entire process."
He added that he believes campus organizations were notified of the event.
Although he indicated that the election commission was in charge of spreading word of the forum, he said neither the election commission nor ICC was at fault for the unsuccessful session.
"I don't think there's any blame to be placed," Longoria said. "If student groups decide not to go, that's their decision."
He added that part of the responsibility for advertising forums like this one belongs to the candidates.
"General knowledge of the election also falls on candidates in terms of getting the word out," he said. "The more people who know about the election and your platform, the more successful you will be."
In response to the failure of the event, executive vice presidential candidate George Fleming, a junior, said he will take a proactive approach.
"I think candidates can take the initiative and seek out groups," he said. "We shouldn't rely on them coming to us."
With the total number of executive candidates reaching 20-a substantial leap from last year's 12-the procedure would have been especially time-consuming, DSG representatives said.
"I think it would have been a great opportunity," said presidential candidate Hasnain Zaidi, a sophomore. "It would have been a great way to solicit opinions and ideas from students who represent the heart and soul of this campus."
Longoria said DSG officials are working to ensure that the campus community is able to get to know the candidates well before casting votes next week.
"We are doing everything we can to address issues that were brought up in various conversations with students and student organizations," Longoria said. "Low attendance is probably an indication that we need to try something new."
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