When confronted by a crisis; whether that crisis is national, campus-wide, or personal, we at UNH have come to learn that Wildcats never accept defeat. In times of hardship we remain resilient, and through the power of this great community, we persevere. We honor this week’s Campus Celebrity for showing admirable resilience when faced with unforeseen adversity.
Despite a heartbreaking expulsion from the Student Body Presidential ballot, Adam Hill proceeded to campaign. Word spread quickly about Hill and his running mate Alison VanDerHeyden’s “Write-In Adam & Ali” campaign. “The election committee can remove me from the ballot, but they can’t remove me from the elections,” Hill said in an interview with UNH HC. As a result of their tireless efforts, the presidential and vice presidential candidates achieved the #4 spot overall in the election results; beating out two candidates who were on the ballot.
Year: Junior
Hometown: Piermont, New Hampshire
Major: Humanities with a minor in biology
What made you want to run for student body president?
“I wanted to bridge the gap between the Student Body and Student Senate. And yes, there is a gap.
While campaigning I spoke with over 25 different student groups [student organizations, Greek chapters, athletics teams, clubs, honors societies, etc.]. I noticed if several students had a similar concern with the university, a few thousand other students were also dealing with the same concerns without having their voices heard. Improving communication is one of the easiest solutions to fixing much larger problems on campus.”
Are you a member of the Student Senate?
“I am not currently at Student Senator, however I was a Student Senator couple of years ago. I will emphasize to those of you that are reading this, out of everything else I say, if you have an idea and you have the passion to carry it out, do it! It is much easier to make a difference on this campus outside of Student Senate than it is within. As one person, you can have an idea that is then supported by many, that can change the university; that can change the world.”
How did that position influence your decision to run for student body president?
“I left Student Senate to make my mark on the campus before graduation with the intention of coming back to take a governmental role at this university, uniting student groups on campus.”
How do you and Ali know each other?
“I work at Libby’s Bar & Grill as a bouncer (I am a socialite). Ali is a waitress. I am also friends with Ali’s brother, Jack VanDerHeyden.”
Why did you choose Ali to be your running mate?
“It is important to have a female perspective in all decisions. Ali is also much younger than I am (I am 24), she can keep me updated with current underclassmen concerns.”
Do you participate in any other activities on campus?
“A couple of years ago I started a student art gallery in Philbrook Hall that I named after my grandmother, Theresa Petrella, who suffered from Alzheimer’s. This gallery then expanded to also include an exhibit in Holloway Commons on the third floor. I am also the director and designer of a UNH pride mural being painted by students in Holloway Commons. This mural will be completed by the end of the year and will commemorate the individuals who painted it.”
What do you feel you would contribute to the UNH community as student body president?
“It is important to have a leader that does not quit when times get hard, I do not accept ‘no’ as an answer and would address student issues until compromises are met on both sides. For example, I know that SEAC works extremely hard with their divestment campaign and the university has not budged. Whether I agree or disagree with an issue that arises (such as divestment), I would fight to make sure students voices are heard (I would fight for everyone, independent of the issue). PERSONAL OPINIONS DO NOT MATTER AS THE STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT.
We were removed from the ballot… yet we still continued to run under the scrutiny of the election committee. I did not allow 18-21 year olds on a committee that has no outside influence of faculty prevent us from finishing the race. Even with a UNH police permit to campaign in the Dimond courtyard on election day(s), we were warned by the election committee of violations we were making. With permission from the UNH groundskeeper, the MUB, and UNH Police, we were told we were “defacing UNH property” by the election committee, by placing posters in various pre-approved locations on campus.
Many student organizations want the campus to know about events they are putting on. It is frustrating for individuals that wish to spread the word about such events to then have a small turn out. A lot of hard work goes unnoticed. Many student groups also show frustration when they try to have events funded by SAFC or are not supported by their academic department. Take for instance, the UNH Society of Civil Engineers had to get a loan to go to a conference in California that they were invited to for their merit. Small organizations also claim that SAFC targets them when they ask for help.
These are issues that are unacceptable, that I have only realized through campaigning. I would work to make life easier for groups facing administrative challenges.”
What is the most exciting part about running for student body president?
“Talking to student groups on campus. I enjoy public speaking and listening to what students want changed on campus. I have a broad background from both real life experiences and volunteer work that allows me to relate to many different social groups at UNH. I highly enjoy helping individuals at UNH. My favorite experience while campaigning was with Best Buddies at UNH. I was blown away by students that help out with the community. I feel that if I let anyone down by being removed from the ballot, it was Best Buddies at UNH.”
What is the most difficult part?
“When you decide to run for a position such as Student Body President, you instantly become a target. There was an unexpected amount of criticism, however it boosted my confidence and allowed me to improve as a person. When we were removed from the ballot, the election committee did not allow us to appeal their decision. This is a failure in democracy. Also, the vote was not unanimous (as it should have been). There was no petition process. The hardest part was fighting an uphill battle against a group of Student Senators on the election committee.
However, we found a loop-hole. We were able to run as write-in candidates. We found it hard to believe that the committee could remain unbiased with their chair, Lauren Scarlett, dating a member on the committee, and sharing an office with an individual running for Student Body President. Also, Brett Branscombe, openly laughing at us while reading our violations was completely unprofessional. While I am publicly stating facts that will be widely criticized, I urge readers to ask candidates Ugo Uche and Aseeb Niazi if they think that the Student Senate Election Committee is biased towards Student Senate members running for Student Body President.
With all of these predicaments, we turned everything that was negative into a positive situation and just had fun with the race. We took it much less seriously and even created a Super PAC (like the Colbert Report) of rambunctious individuals we may or may not have affiliated with from Lord Hall.
What are your plans for the future?
“The day before the election I received an offer for an internship in Manhattan this summer. This will be ideal preparation for a career in NYC after UNH. I love NY just as much as I love UNH. I am also meeting with the director of DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics Program (a branch of the Department of Defense, DoD) at Dartmouth College next week, I research methods of reconstructing the human body upon polytraumatic injury for a plastic surgeon at Dartmouth, Dr. Joseph M. Rosen, for injuries sustained from improvised explosive devices (like the Boston Marathon Bombings). I enjoy working on a wide variety of projects.
I see NYC as being just as beautiful as New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Urban architecture and nature, although contrasting universes, demonstrate a beauty that I chose to admire. As a former Appalachian Mountain Club Hut Croo member, and current Old Hutman (or O.H.), the City calls upon me and the mountains are my home.”
Would you want to pursue a career in politics in the future?
“I enjoy the arts, design, brand identity, advertising, and much more. I have no idea what the path to my future may hold, however I know that everything will fall into place. I have powerful individuals in my life (outside of UNH) that have influenced every decision I have made. I will succeed.”
And now for the burning question…. What exactly was the incident that removed you and Ali from the ballot?
(The infractions below are quoted from the election committee and were originally published in The New Hampshire)
“Passive solicitation of funds from students following the establishment and communication of a policy which prohibits such activities.”
- “I had a “donate” button on my Facebook page to accept donations for fundraising. Being a campaign, I figured it was acceptable to allow for donations to purchase posters, buttons, t-shirts, etc. However, it was not. I removed the PayPal link from my FB page upon request. I never received any donations. My motto, “If you don’t ask for it, you will never receive it.”
“Inappropriate use of university intellectual property in the form of the University Seal as prohibited by the University Graphic Identity and Branding Guide.”
- “I used the University Seal, from a Wikipedia image, as a graphic design for an online contest. This was a big ‘no-no.’ I will add, the Student Senate did this last year using the university logo as a graphic for a t-shirt that many Student Senate individuals wear, including a member from the Election Committee that I witnessed wearing a t-shirt recently.”
“Implicit libel against another candidate as prohibited by campaign policy.”
According to Hill, a chalk advertisement drawn by VanDerHeyden was altered by an unidentified individual who referred to opposing candidates Bryan Merrill and William McKernan as “The ONLY Candidates with EXPERIENCE.”
In response, Hill posted to Facebook that the claims made by the Merrill/McKernan campaign were “Unprofessional and slanderous. If you want strong leaders that will not allow ourselves or our friends sink to this level, vote Hill and VanDerHeyden.”
“Although I will say, the correct term is libelous,” Hill revealed to UNH HC.
- “What I did was not libel. This is directly responsible for our removal from the election.”
“‘Use of OSIL space for campaign purposes as prohibited by campaign policy.’ This occurred when Hill used the paper cutter in OSIL, the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership, to make posters for his campaign. The use of any of the resources in the OSIL complex is strictly against campaign rules.”
- “I used a paper cutter.”
“Inappropriate posting of campaign materials as prohibited by campaign policy and by MUB posting policy.”
- “I made a large campaign poster made from lots of little posters, the election committee was upset.”
What was your initial reaction to the election committee’s decision to remove you from the ballot?
“I thought that the decision was completely unjust. The election committee reprimanded creativity. It is up to the student body to decide who their Student Body President will be. Yes I pushed the limits, but do you want a leader who is boring, or that will do something that is unlike anyone else? I innovate, and I always will. Being punished for progress is a scar on the humanity of UNH. I would love to believe that UNH students do not need oversight, however this was an instance that oversight was needed for the election committee. We also got in trouble for giving Libby’s gift certificates out during a FB contest. We had to pay for these gift certificates out of pocket.”
What was the next step for you two after being removed from the ballot?
“Without wasting time, I began looking for ways to get back on the ballot while also pursuing a write-in campaign. We asked if we could appeal their decision, they told us we would be notified in a timely manner. We were not. We found out that there were no options to appeal the election committee’s decision and pursued a write-in campaign.”
What else do you want readers to know about you?
“Running for Student Body President was a great experience! Although we did not win, we also (technically) never lost considering we were removed from the election! We received 7.02% of the votes, meaning we did not come in last place even though we were not on the ballot. Finishing the race was my primary goal! Our friends had our back from day one and we did something that I don’t think has ever been done at UNH, we were removed from an election, continued to run anyways, and received a large amount of votes as a write-in.
I thought that I knew a lot of people on campus before campaigning, I was wrong. I have met so many amazing students from organizations, athletic teams, Greek life, clubs, etc. that I would never have met otherwise! I am happy to resume normal life now that the election is over and to allow the future to be re-wired due to these recent experiences.
I am thankful for everyone that helped with our campaign along the way! We could not have run without the support of our best friends and our family! Our ‘Super PAC for a Better UNH’ will continue to prosper!”