AUSTIN — Amie Jean was running late to her own celebration. 

Last spring, on her way to find out whether she was elected UT’s next student body vice president, Jean stopped to turn in a scholarship application.

Meanwhile members of her campaign team were anxiously reflecting on the past two weeks, wondering if their hard work had paid off. Jean arrived at the event just after her victory was announced, and she instantly became one of the most influential leaders on campus.

Student Government has existed as an organization at UT since 1902, and executive alliance campaigns — the race to become president and vice president of the student body — have consistently attracted controversy and served as microcosms of political issues at state and national levels.

With thousands of dollars in funding and direct access to administrators, executive alliances wield lots of power over UT’s campus culture. In the weeks leading up to voting, students are bombarded with candidates’ social media posts, and campaign signs are plastered across campus. But rarely do students see what goes on behind the scenes of running a campaign.