After garnering 192 votes from members the Class of 2006, Jennifer Krimm '06 won the 2006 Class Council presidential election, a contest characterized by an overall air of apathy. Samuel Jackson '06 won the vice-presidential seat with a total of 138 votes. Although last year's race was highly contested, this year's campaign ended without an organized debate about current issues.
While Krimm is currently off-campus, spending the term in Kuwait, she garnered enough votes to take the presidency. For the Sigma Delta sorority member, Decibelle, and Undergraduate Advisor, Krimm appealed to constituents strictly through mass blitzes and by informing friends of her candidacy during Winter term.
Although she respects the diverse experiences of her classmates, Krimm's primary objective is to unify her class. According to Krimm, the Dartmouth experience goes beyond academic standing and future career prospects.
Jackson, who served as president of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity last summer, similarly envisions a transformation of the council in order to create a more connected senior class.
"For three years, I have felt unaffected by the '06 class council as organized events merely apply to specific groups at Dartmouth so that many people are left out," he said. "Friendships do not seem to expand beyond those involved in particular organizations, and I want to foster a cemented bond before we leave."
The lack of manpower has delayed many larger unfinished projects, current class council president Nick Connizzo '06 said. Similar Dartmouth Plan decisions by many juniors left the council without strong leadership and commitment to effectively follow through with initiatives.
In addition to the dire need for elected officers, the council faces constitutional repercussions if positions are not immediately filled.
"According to our constitution drafted last year, a vacant office must be filled within two weeks," Connizzo said. "The positions opened at the end of last term, and it is now the time to make replacements."
Since the elections are held earlier than the regular student body elections, the council decided to run the entire election independently by the Dartmouth Basement in lieu of the Elections Planning and Advisory Committee. For candidates, the abrupt change in election organization proved disconcerting and confusing.
"After each candidate received signatures and began their campaign preparation, we received notification that it is no longer an EPAC election," presidential candidate Kevin Boakye '06 said. "Petitions were no longer taken into account so that anyone was eligible to run for a position, and campaign sanctions were not in place. Basically, it was a free for all."
Recently, EPAC officials implemented strict restrictions for campaigns as a response to the alleged violation of Julia Hildreth '05 in the Student Assembly elections last spring. Such guidelines include implementing a lower spending ceiling and restricting joint campaigns with other candidates. The lack of EPAC's approval of the '06 campaign strategies had caused a heightened concern of personal attacks and unfair promotion.
"The reason for EPAC is to lay out the rules for campaigning in order to create a fair system that levels the playing field for all the candidates," Chair of EPAC David Hankins '05. "Unfortunately, there was no way to mandate strategies of the '06 candidates and they could ultimately go as far as they wanted in order to win."
Although the '06 council recognized the lack of specific standards by running the election independently, candidates and officials agree that the campaigns were not overly aggressive. Some candidates did, however, send out repeated mass emails to the Class of 2006, which would have been illegal under EPAC guidelines.
"The disorganization of the election really speaks to the fact that the council is disordered and uninformative to the class as whole," Jackson said. "It is a clear indication of how the council is run right now, which needs to change."
