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Luke Dzierzanowski lost an election to the student government at San Diego State University last week, but not before prompting a widespread debate over campaign tactics. Dzierzanowski posted a video to YouTube in which he appears in a suit, and four women in bikinis help him light a cigar, play around in a pool and bounce on a trampoline. He says nothing. The women close the video by saying that they are voting for him.
A column in The Daily Aztec, the student newspaper, said: "While I must commend Dzierzanowski for being the only memorable candidate, as I can’t even recall the other candidates’ names, the video makes him memorable for all the wrong reasons as a degrading, attention-grabbing gimmick. As it is now, San Diego State already suffers from a negative party school image. Whether we like it or not, it’s an image that characterizes all Aztecs as binge-drinking sexual deviants. Despite our great academics and notable status as one of the top business schools, both the school and its students are haunted by this reputation."
In a comment on the column Dzierzanowski said that the point about the columnist not remembering the names of other candidates showed why the ad was appropriate. "Did you know that last year 18 percent of the student body voted for A.S. Elections? I think we can both agree that number is much lower than it should be," Dzierzanowski wrote. "The job of a representative is to represent the students and be their link to the faculty and administration. I believe in order to do that successfully, more than 18 percent of the school needs to know who you are. If you couldn't remember the other candidates names, who would you go to if you had a suggestion for the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts? I understand that not everyone agrees with my commercial or likes it, but hopefully all PSFA Students remember it and remember my name."
For those seeking to judge for themselves, here is the ad.
