I greatly appreciate the support that I have received from many individuals and campus groups throughout this election. My campaign has been a success because of the hard work and dedication of these people.
I have had many individuals working very diligently on various tasks to achieve our goal of winning this election. Everyone on my staff is well aware of the rules and regulations that every election must uphold to retain the integrity of the organization at hand. However, persons outside my campaign staff dedicated to a certain outcome cannot be held to these same standards.
It is with my regret that an illegal e-mail was sent out on Monday night to many campus e-mail addresses. The e-mail openly bashed my opponent, which is not the way that I intended to win this election. The individual who sent this e-mail is not and has never been associated with my campaign staff. In fact, he is no longer enrolled as a student here at UNC. However, this individual has deep feelings against my opponent. It appears that he was a past president of Carolina Fever and remains a strong supporter of their organization.
At this point in the election, I now fully understand that many people have very strong feelings one way or the other about my opponent. The causes of these feelings were established long before I was ever involved in this race. These people were able to make an educated decision on their choice for CAA president by looking at our platforms.
They have reviewed our stances on several issues and realize that they support many of the same things that I do. However, they have expressed their opinions in the wrong way. I have been accused of negative campaigning several times and allegations have been made because these people have taken action against my opponent without my consent. My campaign would love to offer these individuals a structured way to express their support for my cause without any negative campaigning toward my opponent.
Again, I regret the actions taken by this individual Monday night and condemn this type of behavior in the future.
Reid Chaney
Junior
Biology
