Mike May and Kevin Wendt began their student government relationship as enemies.

Last spring May beat out Wendt for vice president of the Residence Hall Association.

Impressed with May’s leadership in the residence halls and on various committees, Wendt decided to run as vice president in May’s bid for president of the Minnesota Student Association.

“Thank God I lost,” Wendt said.

May is a political science junior and Wendt is a computer science and mathematics sophomore. Both are involved in numerous capacities on campus.

“We have leadership across the ticket,” Wendt said.

May and Wendt sit on MSA’s academics and services committee, which is chaired by Scott LeBlanc.

“They put in a good amount of work, more than most other people,” LeBlanc said.

May and Wendt said they want to be elected so they have more leverage to accomplish their goals, and because they have the proven ability to generate student involvement.

“It is building on what we have done this year and seeing it through,” May said.

The two said one of their largest projects has been trying to get the University to explore management alternatives for its dining services and to explore in-house service, as described in an MSA Forum resolution they authored.

Posting student evaluations of teachers online is another issue on which they have been working.

“It’s a consumer issue: You buy a product and you should know what you’re getting – before the first day of class,” May said.

May also co-authored a resolution on ways to improve University e-mail, including having a sent mail folder.

May and Wendt said they are relying on their friends’ word-of-mouth campaigning to win the election. They plan to spend approximately $800 of their own money on what May describes as the basics – business cards, T-shirts, posters and their Web site.

Wendt said they will not accept group endorsements for the election ballot because they want to represent all students, not just sectors of the student body.

They also said they would like to keep partisan overtones out of MSA debates.

The two concur that the ability to bring students together on issues is one of their strengths.

Even if they do not win this election, May and Wendt said they will continue trying to accomplish their goals and stay involved in student government.

For more information visit www.maywendt.com