With the May 12 deadline looming for students to select two student representatives to sit on the Board of Trustees' Initiative Steering Committee, the names of 25 candidates running for one of the seats were released last night.
A campus-wide election slated for May 10 will determine one of two student-selected representatives to sit on the 14-member steering committee geared towards shaping the future of social and residential life at the College, and will recommend proposals to the Board of Trustees.
Nominations for the elected position were accepted over BlitzMail over a period of a few days ending on Monday at midnight.
The Membership and Internal Affairs Committee, which consists of four representatives, the Assembly vice president, and four additional Assembly members will appoint the second student representative once the winner of the election is disclosed in hopes of striking a balance between the two students.
A total of five students will be incorporated into the committee, two of whom the committee itself will appoint along with the two student-selected representatives and a graduate student.
Ben Berk '00, Shayan Bhattacharyya '01, Jeff Cooney '02, Case Dorkey '99, Abby Gaunt '00, Thad Glowacki '00, Doug Heitner '02, Kendra Kemp '02, Tom Leatherbee '01, Andy Louis '00, Josh Lozman '01, Brian Maloney '01, JoJo Adofo-Mensah '01, Amanda Molk '01, Matthew K. Nelson '00, Jon Ofer '00, Collin O'Mara '01, Jennifer Parkinson '99, Sujan Patel '01, John Phinney '00, Drew Pluhar '00, Neha Mahesh Shroff '02, Reid Smith '01, Margaret Smoot '01 and Scott Spak '00 compose the unofficial list.
From the unofficial list for candidates, 14 are affiliated, and 11 are unaffiliated. Only two are members of the Class of 1999 and only four are freshman. The Class of 2001 are the most represented with 10 candidates. The candidates are also dominated by males, composing 18 of the 25 people on the ballot.
Since the MIAC has the final jurisdiction over College Committees, it could potentially narrow down the candidate list or hold a second round of elections, said Assembly President-elect Dean Krishna '01.
"We don't want someone winning with 20 votes," Krishna said in response to the large number of candidates and possible low voter turn out.
The list of students running for the position will not be finalized until Saturday at noon, at which time candidates must have submitted a statement that will be made public. Before the election, their responses will be posted on the web and distributed in public places as voter information.
"The application is less of a platform than a 'get-to-know-me type of thing' about what type of decision maker they are and how well they represent students," Krishna said.
A candidates' forum in the Rockefeller Center will also be held Sunday evening for an opportunity to meet the candidates.
"There is going to be a big flurry to get everything public. Before the election but after [candidates] turn in material, we will get statements on the web and go door-to-door with Xeroxes," Krishna said.
Also included on the Internet ballot May 10 will be an unrelated section to determine whether students prefer Coca-Cola or Pepsi Cola products. Pending contract termination dates for soft-drink providers at the College have spurred the debate in recent months.
Current Assembly President Josh Green '00 and Vice President Case Dorkey '99 met with Director of Purchasing Greg Husband and the Director of Dartmouth Dining Services Tucker Rossiter to discuss the proposals.
Currently, the vending contract is with Coke products while the pouring rights in the dining halls are with Pepsi-line soft drinks. If the College exclusively uses only one company for both vending and pouring rights, however, it will gain a greater windfall, Dorkey said.
"The Assembly made the argument that we should go to the students to determine what company we contract with. As a result, the administration has agreed to allow us to hold a vote. We believe they are planning to go along with what the results are," Dorkey said.
"Either the dispensers will go to Coke or vending will go to Pepsi, but Topside will not be affected," Dorkey said.
