Editor’s note: This story has been edited to clarify that when Curtis Grima, Studentcrats’ candidate for ASI president, arrived on the scene, he said his slate was not speaking to the other slates.

The launch of Associated Students Inc. campaigns began with a verbal confrontation between political slates just after midnight Monday in the Library Quad.

The confrontation began when a trash can was set in front of the campaign sign of Walter Wallace, a Studentcrats slate member running for ASI executive vice president.

Studentcrats members then moved the can back to its “original location,” said Curtis Grima, Studentcrats’ candidate for ASI president.

“No one wants a dirty trash can in front of their sign,” Grima said.

The trash can was moved in front of the sign of Christina Romero, an Impact candidate running for director of Arts and Letters, and an argument occurred later between members of Impact and Studentcrats, said Robbie Abelon, the Advocate candidate for ASI president, as he and other members of the his slate arrived on the scene.

“I thought it was unfair and shouldn’t have been done,” Abelon said.-

Romero witnessed incident as the trash can was moved in front of her sign, and when she arrived to the scene, she said members of Studentcrats ?” including Grima, who arrived later ?” yelled at her.-

-Impact members arrived later, and the groups resolved to move Romero’s sign to a different location ?” the trash can was moved across the walkway not to block anyone else’s sign.–

“We were trying to calm down the situation and try not to raise any animosity,” Romero said.

-Grima said when he arrived on the scene, his slate was not speaking with the other slates. Grima said that he then told his Studentcrats slatemembers to not respond and leave the area. Grima said he and his slate did not respond to anything that was said by the opposing slates.

“For any team to slide a trash can is petty and doesn’t matter in this election,” Grima said

The situation was resolved quickly, and candidates returned to putting up their campaign signs, Romero said.

Advocate members later placed their sign for Phillip Ung, candidate for director of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, in the empty spot, Ung said.

“I hope what happened within the first hour of the campaign doesn’t become the theme of the entire month,” Abelon said.-

Romero was shocked to see a trash can in front of her sign, but was happy with the resolution of the situation and was trying not to create any “bad blood” among any of the candidates. —-“In the future, I hope instead of raising our voices at each other, we have a mutual respect for each other and have a fair campaign,” Romero said.-Authorities from the University Police Department were not called to respond and no official report was made concerning the incident that evening, said Lt. Dan Davis.Candidates were allowed to put up their campaign signs on campus beginning Monday.- Members of each slate ?” Advocates, Impact and Studentcrats ?” were present that night.

Matthew Beltran can be reached at [email protected]