Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment in a four-part series on election parties.
More 4 U is not a party of “cookie-cutter candidates,” said vice-presidential candidate Craig Hammond. With the least experience in ASUU and some unconventional campaign tactics, party members said these aspects are what make them unique.
“We’ve got that extra spark and vivacity,” senior class president candidate Megan Maxfield said. “Things are going to happen.”
Unlike any other candidate for the Associated Students of the University of Utah elections, presidential candidate Joe Coccimiglio, a senior in finance and economics, has spent the majority of his years at the U off campus.
He said he wants to give back to the student body what the U has given to him.
Coccimiglio served a mission in Brazil for the LDS Church from 2001 to 2003. Afterward, he studied abroad in Oviedo, Spain, finished an internship in Lima, Peru, for the U.S. Embassy and was an intern at the White House last spring. All of Coccimiglio’s internships were subsidized by U scholarships and the Hinckley Institute of Politics.
“I’ve received a lot from the U-programs have really been opened up for me because of scholarships and internships,” Coccimiglio said. “I want these things for the students because I got them.”
Calling himself literally the “average Joe,” Coccimiglio said, “All it takes is average to do unaverage things and exceed expectations, making students marketable in the job market.”
Hammond, a junior in international studies and business, also served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil. He had a home business for one year exporting home automation products to a client in Brazil. Hammond said this experience taught him leadership and organization skills. He plans to open a business again someday.
“I’m not going to work for the man,” Hammond said. “I’ll make my money myself.”
Both Coccimiglio and Hammond are involved in leadership positions for LDSSA fraternities.
In ASUU, Coccimiglio served as a business representative on the ASUU General Assembly. Hammond was on the ASUU Finance Board, where he was involved in spending decisions and was able to see where the student government’s $1.4 million budget is spent, leading him to decide to run for office.
Maxfield, a junior in pre-nursing, has been on the Senior Council this year, which she said opened her eyes and made her excited about running. She has also been on the Campus Relations Board, was the scholarship chair and worked on the Recruitment Council for the Chi Omega sorority. Maxfield studied abroad in Cambridge, England, did a humanitarian project in Guatemala and has been a hospital volunteer for four years.
The More 4 U platform will be based on four objectives: childcare, gas money for U students, parking and scholarship accessibility.
More 4 U candidates said they will focus on non-traditional students to provide more childcare and facilities for married students.
“Married students make up 40 percent of ASUU’s income,” Coccimiglio said. “Let’s give something back.”
Already receiving a commitment from one gas station, More 4 U plans to create a gas discount for U students using their UCard.
In regard to parking, More 4 U candidates said they want to help with parking in the northwest quadrant of campus. They said they have a unique and well-researched plan, having spoken to hundreds of students and six administrators in different areas, all of whom they said were supportive.
More 4 U’s campaign will focus on making scholarships and internships more accessible and attainable for U students. They want every school on campus to have internship opportunities.
“A lot of times, students want scholarships but don’t know about them,” Coccimiglio said.
More 4 U candidates said they will initiate more creative ways for advertising during campaigns. Using the color orange, their campaign shirts will have each platform idea on it. For example, one will say, ‘More Parking 4 U,’ then list the ideas behind that platform point.
“We have the least amount of ASUU experience,” Hammond said, “but enough to know how it’s done and what changes can be brought about. We want to break the bureaucratic cycle with a new edge and new ideas.”
Tyler CobbMore 4 U Party vice-presidential candidate Craig Hammond talks about the campaign during a dinner Monday at SkyBox.
Tyler CobbMore 4 U Party presidential candidate Joe Coccimiglio jokes with fellow party members Charlotte Baker and Brittney Jorgensen during a party meeting Monday at SkyBox.