Thrones Vacant as Homecoming Vote Is Questioned

When the time comes to honor a homecoming queen and king at Cal State Fullerton’s football game today, there will be no one to crown.

The university’s student election commission has declared invalid all ballots for homecoming king and queen in reaction to charges of vote tampering and ballot-box stuffing lodged by several student groups this week.

Student leaders are planning to hold another homecoming election next week as part of the election for student government officers, but that will be too late to elect a king and queen for this afternoon’s game against San Jose State at Santa Ana Stadium.

Twelve students, all sponsored by campus organizations, ran for king and queen. After ballots were cast Wednesday and Thursday, three campus groups who were sponsoring candidates complained about incidents at the polls.

Among the charges were that one polling place was left unattended for at least 10 minutes, that campaign posters were put up too close to the polls, and that Sigma Pi fraternity brothers of candidate Steve Jacques tended the polls and attempted to insert false ballots for Jacques and Shelly Piccardi, the candidates of the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council.

The allegations were brought by the Associated Students Productions, the Black Student Union and the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, a Latino group.

“I keep saying, ‘It’s only homecoming, mellow out,’ ” said Vince Fabrizio, a political science major who is president of Associated Students, the student government. Fabrizio is also a member of Sigma Pi fraternity.

“The whole idea is to have spirit and a good feeling,” Fabrizio said. “When you have people feeling disenfranchised or feeling the whole concept is screwed up, it doesn’t work. . . . The political scientist in me is really offended by the whole thing.”

Aaron Ward, a homecoming king candidate who represented Associated Students Productions, only shrugged when asked about the election.

“I wanted to win, but it wasn’t going to make my life if I won,” Ward said.

To other students, the charges of tampering were more serious. On campus Friday, students said there were several protests, at least one of which included the chant, “Homecoming’s weak, disqualify Greeks.”

Although no one will be crowned at today’s game, student leaders are encouraging the candidates to appear at half-time as members of a homecoming court.

“We’ll have a king and queen,” Fabrizio said. “It may be a week after homecoming, but we’ll have one.”