From T-shirt colors to billboards and election rules, Meha Jha and Millie Harrison's campaign staff know how to run a Miss Auburn campaign.
Jha, sophomore in chemical engineering, was Millie Harrison's Miss Auburn campaign manager, so she knows what goes into every detail of becoming Miss Auburn.
Jha and Harrison had a campaign staff of approximately 300 people.
"I was behind the scenes taking all the stress on, and you know that everything you do is for this person, and it's because you love them," Jha said.
Although many students see campaigning as only a week long process, planning began immediately after callouts in November.
Harrison asked Jha to be her campaign manager after callouts. After Jha accepted the position, five additional students were chosen to represent Harrison as her "Top Five."
The Top Five is made up of representatives who have a specific job planning, leading up to and during campaign week, Jha said.
"We had to take a test on all the campaign rules," Jha said.
The rules include things like no campaigning inside campus buildings on voting day, no use of YouTube, staying within a $1,000 budget and making design choices for shirts.
Choosing colors for the entire campaign is one of the most important things because everyone remembers your colors, Jha said.
"We knew for sure we wanted something that popped," Jha said. "You don't want anything too crazy because it all goes on the printing material and billboards, and we wanted Millie to be able to coordinate her outfits."
Ben Burkett, undeclared freshman, also worked on Harrison's campaign.
"I baked a lot of cookies and wrote Millie's name on cups and handled a lot of T-shirt order forms," Burkett said.
Burkett said he joined Harrison's campaign as a way to get involved and give back to Auburn.
"The people running for these things are all great people, and it is an honor to be able to work with them," Burkett said. "It is extremely rewarding to know that all the weeks of hard work finally paid off."
Jha said planning actually begins on a call night in January after winter break.
Call night is the process of calling everyone who would be interested to be on the campaign staff.
The staff's job is to help prepare publicity to pass out on the concourse or organize escorts for each day.
"Everything had to be divided up hour by hour all week ... and we had to think strategically because you have to fit everything in the budget" Jha said.
Almost everything that was done to run a smooth campaign was done behind the scenes.
"Meha told me, 'This is your time to meet people and love on the Auburn campus, and show them who you are, and we will take care of everything else,'" Harrison said.
Jha said loving the candidate and the process is what helped her and the rest of Harrison's staff through an incredibly stressful week.
"(Campaign managing) is the most selfless thing you can do, and you absolutely have to love the person you are doing it for," Jha said.
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