Candidates receive org endorsements


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The Undergraduate Student Government have posted official endorsements for candidates over the last week, announcing student organizations’ support for tickets, slates and individuals via Facebook and the USG website.

Organizations were required to complete the endorsement form by Feb. 8.

The 2013 elections include two tickets for the positions of president and vice president. Presidential candidate Matthew Arkfeld, the current speaker pro tempore of the senate, and Alex Cascante, a Greek senator, comprise one ticket. Presidential candidate Christian Kurth, the USG director of university affairs, and Ryan Park, a Greek senator, make up the other ticket. Each ticket has secured more than ten endorsements, ranging from Greek organizations to academic groups.

Greek organizations play a large role in each campaign. Five Greek organizations have endorsed Arkfeld and Cascante: fraternities Alpha Epsilon Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Nu.

Kurth and Park have four endorsements from the Greek community: fraternities Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Sigma, Sigma Chi and Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Several academic organizations endorsed both tickets. Arkfeld and Cascante received 17 endorsements from student organizations, which include USC College Republicans, the Korean Student Association, Marshall Outreach and Volunteer Entrepreneurs, Spanish Undergraduate Student Association, Trojan Alliance, Volunteers Around the World and USC’s women’s basketball team.

Kurth and Park were endorsed by 11 organizations, including the Construction Management Association of America, Fluor Tower Residential College, Society 53, Student Alumni Society,  Trojan Knights, the USC Admissions Center and the USC Pre-Law Society.

Unofficially, Kurth and Park’s campaign has also utilized Facebook to share photos of well-known students, such as T.J. McDonald and Marqise Lee, holding campaign memorabilia. Robert Woods sent a supportive tweet to the campaign as well.

Voting began Tuesday at midnight and will last until Thursday at 8 p.m. Voting can be accessed online at elections.usc.edu by using a USC email login information. Online voters can select their presidential, vice presidential and senatorial candidates. The winners will be announced Feb. 19.