Student Senate Hosts Technocratic Forum and Election
(Photo Allyson Frantz/The Gettysburgian)
Kyle Beatty, Staff Writer.
Student Senate’s Apr. 12 meeting began with the announcement of next year’s President and Vice President: Syd Quan ‘22 and Colin Hughes ‘23, respectively. President Kurtis Grey ‘21 reported that, in response to Student Senate’s opinion on emergency contraceptive access, the Health Center is immediately lowering the cost of Plan B from $20 to $9 and will continue to reduce the cost and increase access.
Senate then passed multiple amendments, including two tweaking the election and role of the Inclusion Officer — after this semester, the Inclusion Officer will be popularly elected instead of appointed by the Senate. The first amendment of the day was more wide-reaching, barring any member of the Executive Board from representing any other campus club or organization.
The main event of the meeting was the Technocratic Forum and Election. Senators introduced themselves as candidates for the four technocratic positions on the Executive Board: Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Inclusion Officer, and Secretary. Managing Editor of The Gettysburgian Gauri Mangala ‘21 hosted the forum to interview candidates on their track record in Senate and future plans for their time in office.
Beginning with the Treasurer position, Mangala interviewed incumbent Connor Heath ‘23 and candidate Alexis Jones ‘24. While Heath emphasized his experience on the Budget Management Committee (BMC) as his primary qualification, Jones mentioned her ability to bring a fresh perspective to the BMC. Based on her experience in an executive position in the Black Student Union, Jones argued that she could better connect with clubs and their needs. When asked about how to increase club engagement with the BMC and how to spend the ongoing budget surplus, both Heath and Jones promoted directly approaching clubs to evaluate their goals and how Senate funding could help.
The Forum moved on to the candidates for Parliamentarian, Jack Comegno ‘24 and Courtney Cholewa ‘22. Asked about potential changes to the Constitution, Cholewa recommended that students be permitted to run for office even if they will be abroad during part of their term. Comegno recommended revisiting the Constitution’s language on clubs, funding, and recognition and derecognition of student groups.
Three different candidates ran for Inclusion Officer: Samantha Martin ‘24, Lucas Toglia ‘22, and Alexandros Economou ‘22. All candidates expressed a commitment to promoting diversity of thought in Senate, although none of the candidates supported mandatory “first amendment training” mentioned in a question from the audience. All candidates had positive comments on Daniel Jones’ ‘22 leadership of the Inclusion Committee this past semester, and mentioned they would seek to emulate his dedication to promoting understanding between clubs and members of the Committee.
Evelyn Datte ‘24 and EJ Gill ‘23 ran for Secretary, each touting their accessibility and engagement with Senate and the campus at large.
The possibility of a third wellness day was raised both in Student Concerns and Committee Reports, with students wondering if public support would lead the College to commit to cancel classes for a third day this semester. On Friday, Apr. 16 of the same week, the Office of the President sent an email to the school at large announcing a third wellness day on Friday Apr. 23.
The final results of the elections were:
● Connor Heath re-elected Treasurer with 15 votes over Alexis Jones (11).
● Jack Comegno elected Parliamentarian with 20 votes over Courtney Cholewa (6 votes).
● Alex Economou elected Inclusion Officer with 17 votes over Samantha Martin (6) and Lucas Toglia (3).
● Evelyn Datte elected Secretary with 18 votes over EJ Gill (8).
