Adams UC Race Turns Ugly As Neffinger, Ragulin Attack

Although campaigns for Undergraduate Council are usually rather tame, the race in Adams House turned nasty this fall as incumbent council members traded accusations of everything from discrimination to distortion.

Council candidates Gian G. Neffinger '93 and Vladimir V. Ragulin '94 mounted a full-fledged poster war this week, culminating with Neffinger telling Ragulin to "suck me" and "burn in hell."

"It shows that once the campaign starts and the negative campaigns gain momentum, it gets really hard to stop," Ragulin said.

Although the two called for a cease fire yesterday, Neffinger said he expects the conflict between him and Ragulin to continue if both are elected to the council.

Balloting ended yesterday, but the election results were unavailable at press time.

The campaign turned negative when Neffinger posted a sign accusing Ragulin of illegal postering, discriminating against gays and lesbians and "minimiz[ing] protection against date rape."

Ragulin, in turn, accused Neffinger of "distorting the facts to discredit the front runner."

Several more rounds of campaign posters were exchanged, culminating with a sign headlined "Hey Vlad--Suck Me." That poster also said Ragulin was "full of shit" and accused the council incumbent of "openly lying."

Neffinger downplayed the poster, saying that it was intended to be humorous.

"It was intended to make the whole thing less serious and bring some humor into it," Neffinger said.

According to Ragulin, the hostility began when he and another candidate made a parody of a campaign poster by Benjamin D. Unger '94, who ran in a block with Neffinger.

"We just thought it was a joke and people would get a laugh. We had no idea how much this would deteriorate," Ragulin said.

Ragulin said that Neffinger was responsible for turning the campaign negative with his successive attacks.

"There were false accusations that I was a bigot and a date rapist. It was very upsetting," Ragulin said.

Neffinger said he began the negative attacksafter Ragulin broke the campaign rules bypostering on walls and in the dining hall.

Most Adams House residents interviewedyesterday said the campaign antics were amusing.

"I think it's more fun than serious. It's morepropaganda bantering than actual hostility," saidSpencer G. Park '93.

But other house residents viewed the issue moreseriously.

"The campaign was very childish," said WadihCanaan '94. "It turned from amusing to nasty.

Neffinger said he began the negative attacksafter Ragulin broke the campaign rules bypostering on walls and in the dining hall.

Most Adams House residents interviewedyesterday said the campaign antics were amusing.

"I think it's more fun than serious. It's morepropaganda bantering than actual hostility," saidSpencer G. Park '93.

But other house residents viewed the issue moreseriously.

"The campaign was very childish," said WadihCanaan '94. "It turned from amusing to nasty.