*Note: Mark Larik is not actually running for UGBC President. He has no say in his “campaign” that his friends (collectively known as the Snack Pack Super PAC) are running.
What started off as a complete joke has now turned into one of the most talked about campaigns in UGBC history. Mark Larik, CSOM ‘13, is fake-running for UGBC President. When I asked him why he didn’t have an actual Vice President, he responded very confidently, “I don’t need one, I’m that good… I’m as good as two people.”
In all seriousness, though, Larik is actually very qualified to be UGBC President (and Vice President). He was given the directorship of “BC 2 Boston” his freshman year, and has been a part of the UGBC cabinet for three years. He is a Finance and Management and Leadership major, and is very good at taking charge. So why ISN’T Larik running?
“I want to be a part of UGBC, lead retreats, and possibly be a TA next year, and if I were UGBC President, I would only be able to focus on that. This way, I can contribute to the student population in many different ways and still have time to work on my senior five.” I asked him, if he were to be UGBC President, what his first order of business would be. He immediately responded that he would want to turn the Rat back into a pub. “It’s all about restoring traditions and instilling community among all the students. Plus it would be safer to have the students drink on campus.”
So how did this all start? Michael Calo (CSOM ‘13), Larik’s roommate, asked if he could run a fake campaign for Larik. Larik agreed, but insisted that he wouldn’t have anything to do with the campaign–it was all on Calo. Larik honestly thought the whole thing would last a couple of days, but it has become a campaign that a lot of students have been talking about. Calo, head of the Snack Pack Super PAC that is endorsing Larik, created the Facebook page Larik 2012: Join the Revolution, which has been widely viewed by BC students. Various positions have been assigned to other members of the PAC, including poster manager Matt Swaim, Twitter manager Bianca Gandarias, and video manager Sean Casey, all A&S ‘12, along with a handful of other contributors ranging from freshmen to seniors. Joey Nuccio, a BC sophomore, said “The page distracted me from studying for an hour.” Calo says that’s what the campaign is all about: bringing fun back to the UGBC elections. In addition to the Facebook page, members of the Snack Pack Super PAC have made “Larik” shirts, and there is even now a Vandy window painted for Larik and his campaign. I’m told to also look out for the first musical campaign video to be dropping soon.
I asked Larik what he hopes to get out of fake-running, and he said he hopes that students get more involved in the elections and start to pay attention to what the candidates have to offer. From the excitement that has come from his fake campaign in the past week, I think this has a pretty good chance of happening. Students have approached him to ask about the campaign so they can make informed decisions and actually know what to look for in candidates. People have even recognized him at parties, referencing the pictures and quotes that are posted on his page.
Unfortunately, there are no write-ins for the UGBC elections, so Larik has absolutely no chance of winning. When I asked Larik what he thought of this, he said, “There should be a write-in because every student should be able to vote for who they think would be the best President and Vice President of UGBC, to be the voice of the student body.”
Although you can’t vote for Mark Larik, you can still talk to him about the elections. He would be more than happy to inform students about UGBC and help stir up some excitement.
Don’t forget to vote in the UGBC primaries today and tomorrow and be sure to follow Larik’s campaign on Twitter and “like” the Facebook fan page Larik 2012: Join the Revolution – you’ll be glad you did.