In his first year at Ball State and in Student Government Association, Ryan Stemen told Jayson Manship he wanted to be his campaign manager.
"It had been a joke, but then I told him that I really did want to do it," Stemen said. "I said, I'll put my time and effort into getting you re-elected."
Stemen said after becoming friends with Manship, he became interested in SGA. He wasn't involved with student government in high school, but he said he was social and was always meeting people. Stemen said building social networks at Ball State helped him run Manship's "grass-roots" campaign.
"I probably know about 300 people," Stemen said. "I get friends and their roommates to talk about Jayson. I walk around my hall and talk to people about the platform."
Manship said his slate doesn't tour the building to knock on random doors. That's considered soliciting and is banned in the elections code. Members only talk to people they know, he said.
"We'll find a (resident assistant) and walk around to talk to people, friends of friends," Manship said.
Stemen met Manship last fall at the Cardinal Leadership and Service Seminar when Manship led his group. They e-mailed each other and became friends, Stemen said.
Stemen said as election week has snuck in, he stayed awake a few nights on Manship's futon to brainstorm Web site ideas and to discuss the campaign.
"I've been telling people to look at the Web site," Stemen said. "I've been passing out T-shirts. I want to talk to as many people as possible about student government."
Vice presidential candidate Meghan Newlund said she called Stemen at 2:30 a.m., and he was looking for open buildings without signs.
"One night I was putting them up from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.," said Stemen as he sat in the back of Manship's ambulance, the slate's advertising vehicle. "I plastered that scramble light."
Manship said Stemen is passionate and brings energy to the campaign.
"Look at his door," Manship said, referring to his slate's flyers plastered outside of Stemen's LaFollette dorm room. "Do you know anyone else that's not on a slate that would be that dedicated?"
Stemen said he's posted about 550 signs on campus. The slate has a total of 200 T-shirts and 1,100 posters in stock, Manship said.
Stemen said he plans to run for president eventually.
"Someday I want to run for a position like that," he said. "I wanted to see what campaigning was about. I figured I'd learn the ropes."
Stemen said balancing homework and the campaign has been difficult because this week has been intense.
"My research paper and the campaign, they just mashed heads," Stemen said. Stemen can't attend today's 7 p.m. slate debate in Teachers College, because he has class.
"That's really hard for me," Stemen said.
Whatever the election's outcome, Stemen said he plans to stay in SGA for a couple more years.
"I've heard a lot of complaints about Ball State," Stemen said. "The good things that can happen - that's through SGA."
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