With less than a week remaining before Undergraduate Council elections begin, candidates for president and vice president are getting their campaigns into high gear.

This week, posters on message boards and announcements in dining halls and lectures will be the norm on campus as candidates try to make themselves known in the college's second popular elections for Council president and vice president.

Each has a different plan, with some of the 12 presidential candidates opting for running mates and others are trying for a more independent approach. But all are trying to do the same thing: convince the campus of their merits.

"It's always this uncomfortable dilemma... You're sort of like a salesman," said presidential candidate Benjamin R. Kaplan '99, who placed seventh in last spring's election.

But Kaplan added he did not feel completely embarrassed. "It's not like I'm selling a bad product here," he said.

The character of the campaign will likely become clearer in the coming days, with some believing issues will be important and others seeing personality conflicts as the defining factor.

"Given the people running, I think it will be an issues oriented campaign," said Elizabeth A. Haynes '98, a presidential candidate and last spring's vice presidential runner-up.

Campaign issues range from the proportion of money the council should spend on clubs, to the effectiveness of the Core, to the challenge of reinvigorating Loker Commons.

Yesterday, Haynes brought another issue to the forefront by announcing her support for a petition in favor of wiring all undergraduate housing for cable. If there is enough student interest cable companies will wire rooms free of charge, Haynes said.

Others, however, are far from certain that the campaign will stick to the issues.

Trevor S. Blake '00, originally a candidate for president, said he decided against running because he didn't want to be associated with this year's crop of candidates.

"There are obvious personality conflicts which are fueling the mud slinging. There are so many personal agendas," he said.

Kaplan agreed that candidates sometimes get caught up in political quagmire.

"The council is too political," said Kaplan. "I think people should treat [it] like student government and not the United States Senate."

Last spring's victorious Hyman/Rawlins campaign borrowed much from national political campaigns and most expect similar tactics this time around. Many of the candidates are still hard at work building political organizations of supporters to help with their efforts.