Candidates for the 2009 Student Government election kicked off the campaign season Wednesday afternoon with the help of dedicated supporters and some minor fanfare. In simultaneous displays of campaign politics, four major tickets running for the position of SG president and vice president announced their candidacies in separate events across campus.Though the tickets have been arranged for some time, the official campaign season began at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The candidates didn’t waste a moment, beginning their campaigns as soon as they were allowed.About 50 people met inside of 145 Coates Hall for more than a half hour to await an announcement from the “One Voice ‘09″ campaign headed by SG Sen. Greg Upton and running mate Laura Boggs, SG executive director.The Upton/Boggs campaign took advantage of its classroom setting by utilizing the projection screen and counting down the minutes until Upton’s announcement. When the clock reached zero, Upton entered to a standing ovation.”There are many things that SG wants to get done this year,” Upton said in his speech. “But the most important thing that we can do is set up a Student Government who listens.”Upton, who has served in SG for two semesters, also serves with other student organizations such as Psi Sigma Epsilon.When asked about his qualifications for the presidency, Upton cited his past work in sales for the South Western Company in Tennessee and shipping management with Clico.”In SG, you’re dealing with people outside SG as much as inside,” Upton said. “So it helps to have experience dealing with people on a business level.”Not far away, under the shadow of the clock tower, Sen. Andy Palermo and SG Assistant Director of Finance Phoebe Hathorn launched their campaign under the banner of taking the University to the “Next Level.”Palermo cited dedication and some level of experience —  both of which he said he has — as the most important qualities for an SG president.During his speech, Palermo said his campaign would be a “student campaign” focused on the wants and needs of the University students.”We need to take the initiative to reach out and get more of your opinions and ideas,” Palermo said.At the same time, the “Unity ‘09″ ticket, headed by Ari Krupkin and Melanie Oubre, spoke to a small crowd of students in front of the Student Union about the need for student voices to be heard.”Just like students know their voices are being heard in Tiger Stadium, we want them to know their voices are being heard in SG,” Oubre said.Krupkin said it was time for a breath of fresh air in SG. While he has never served in SG before, Krupkin has served two years as the president of Tigers for Israel and was the head paige of the Louisiana Senate.”The fact is, outside the executive branch there is a tendency to forget we govern for the students and by the students,” Krupkin said.Stuart Watkins and Martina Scheuermann, the spearheads for the “More for LSU” ticket, announced their campaign plans in the center of Free Speech Plaza.Touting the need for energy efficiency on campus, including dining hall composting and condensing night classes, the ticket said the University deserves more from its SG.”We’re very proud of the things we’ve done on campus because its not just in SG but various other aspects of campus life as well,” Watkins said.Watkins served as the SG executive assistant for former SG president Cassie Alsfeld. —-Contact Adam Duvernay at [email protected]