The Observer, April 1, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 23
Elections finish despite lower turnout, contestation
With the exception of the offices for vice president of Development and Class of 2008 president, newly elected officers for all other positions on USG and class officers have been set for the 2005-2006 academic year.
USG executive and class officer elections were held last Thursday and Friday, with a voter turnout of roughly 900 undergraduates.
"This year's turnout was a little less than the year before, but I'm not disappointed with the results because there is always some variation every year," election commissioner Chuck Pittenger said.
Junior Brian Sauer was elected president of the USG Executive Board unopposed, capturing 100 percent of the 829 votes cast in the election. Sauer said he was excited to start his new position and will soon start preparations for next year. "I will be working with the execs and [current president] Taroon [Amin] to get a better understanding of their roles. An exec retreat for next year's officers will be planned for later this semester," Sauer said.
Other new executive officers are VP of Finance Sonia Merritt, VP of Academic Affairs Nicholas Bonazza, VP of Public Relations Marissa Calcagno, and Parliamen-tarian Adam Rupe.
The remaining position, vice president of Development, will be determined after the runoff tentatively scheduled for April 14 and 15. "According to USG bylaws, members of the executive board must gain 50 percent plus 1 vote," Pittenger said. "Once all the votes were tallied and write-ins were counted, it was found that Neil [Ursic] got 49.5 percent of the votes while Trevor [Sheetz] got 27.7 percent of the votes. There wasn't a definite majority, so a runoff will be held," Pittenger said.
As a board, Sauer said the officers will focus on two main goals throughout next year. "The first goal is to change the external structure of USG and make it a representative body for all; it will be all inclusive and not exclusive. The second goal is to change USG internally by becoming more efficient and working more smoothly," he said.
Class officers for the Class of 2006 will be President Ryan Novince, Vice President Pavan Thangudu, Secretary Kimberly Deininger, and Treasurer Sonali Arora.
"Next year, Senior Week will obviously be a big priority for us. We'll also focus on what is needed on campus, what needs to be vocalized, and hopefully provide a solution for it," Novince said.
The Class of 2007 leadership for next year will consist of President Elyse Moretti, Vice President Peter Chung, Secretary Irene Makovey, and Treasurer Cody Wood. "I'm really looking forward to next year and working with the other class officers. We'll be working to improve events and add on new ones," Moretti said.
The results for Class of 2008 president are currently undecided, Pittenger said. "There have been some issues with campaign violations. Until the appeals process goes through, we will not know who the president is," he said. Pittenger said there could be a possibility of a runoff. The other elected officers for the class are Vice President Vicky Apostolopoulos, Secretary Eric Johnson, and Treasurer Marisa Calcagno.
