By Sophie Lange, News Editor
The popular election for the Student Senate concluded on Friday, March 29.
The candidates for Student Senate President were Michael Woods ’25, Gabe Taub ’25 and Geoffrey Meadville ’25. Woods ultimately won the presidency.
Current Student Senate President Drew Lemon ’24 reflected on the election, stating, “While we did have a substantial amount of qualified candidates run for the Presidency seat, I am confident in saying that Michael Woods will do a fantastic job at leading the Student Senate and the Student Body.
Lemon spoke to Woods and his ability to take over the role of President: “Michael embodies the charisma, enthusiasm and dedication… but, what I am most impressed by is Michael’s natural leadership abilities. After working alongside Michael for several years now in various capacities, I have seen his firsthand ability to speak analytically and proactively when directing a group of people, all while maintaining a thoughtful demeanor when faced with challenges and difficulties. Michael holds his ambitions for Gettysburg College close to heart, as I have learned through our discussions that he loves the Gettysburg family just as much as I do.”
As for what he hopes to accomplish during the next academic year, Woods expressed that he wanted to increase the productivity of the Student Senate externally.
“Instead of focusing on internal matters, I want to begin working on larger projects and events that can improve everyone’s college experiences,” Woods said. “I also hope to see the Senate more frequently work with campus offices, the Faculty, and the Administration. Finally, I would like to create more student roles on campus committees so that our concerns, thoughts, and opinions can be more effectively shared and addressed. I’m very excited to start the next semester as Senate President. I appreciate all of the support, and I look forward to starting to make campus a better place.”
The Student Senate Vice President candidates were Abby Ruggiero ’26, Carl DeMarco ’25 and Joey Labrie ‘25. Ruggiero won the vice presidency. After working with Ruggiero in her role as the Inclusion Officer this past year, Lemon expressed his enthusiasm for her selection to lead the Student Senate Vice Presidency seat.
“Abby has a proud leadership presence, and I believe she has the skillset, passion and knowledge to best handle the internal workings of the Student Senate assigned to her role as Senate Vice President,” Lemon said. “As I have told our current Vice President during numerous meetings, it certainly is not an easy role managing this group of lions in the room! However, I have no doubts Abby will bring confidence and positive changes to the functioning of the Student Senate.”
Ruggiero expressed gratitude for being elected to the Vice Presidency.
“This was a tough race as I ran among two very qualified candidates,” Ruggiero said. “Knowing the Student Body has entrusted me with this vital job feels amazing. It also feels great that others see the work I have accomplished throughout this year for our body and would like to see what else I bring to the table.”
When asked about her goals for the Student Senate, Ruggiero explained, “One of the biggest things I want to tackle this year is making sure students are aware of the projects the Student Senate is working on and increasing our Senate’s interactions with the rest of the Student Body by establishing clear and consistent channels of communication, including email newsletters, social media updates, and a dedicated section on the student government website. Another goal is to implement a system for soliciting student feedback and input on significant issues. Encouraging our Committee Chairs to get students outside of the senate involved in the discussions is important. Holding our members to the standards of our constitution is one of the most important jobs I will have, and I promise to run a diligent Student Senate that reflects the voices of our fellow students.”
Oliver Eckoff ’27 ran uncontested for Inclusion Officer.
Of Eckoff’s new role, Lemon said, “While it was a less contested election (as Oliver was the only candidate for Inclusion Officer!) I am still thrilled to see Oliver decided to throw their name into the role of Inclusion Officer. This semester, I have been so impressed with Oliver’s commitment to being the committee chair of our ‘College Life Advisory Committee,’ or CLAC.”
Lemon shared that he quickly recognized Eckoff’s passion despite them only being a first-year student.
“As Oliver is only a first-year student, I quickly saw Oliver’s passion and commitment for Student Senate through their pursuit of projects and committee initiatives that have strongly enhanced the workability of Student Senate,” Lemon said. “Since I first met them, I always predicted that Oliver would take on a leadership role for Student Senate down the road, and I am so impressed that they embraced the candidacy for an executive board position as a first-year (this is something that I would never have been able to do!) I am looking forward to seeing Oliver continue the CLAC legacy leadership into a paramount Executive Board role.”
As Inclusion Officer, Eckoff said one of their goals is to ensure everyone on campus feels safe, supported and accepted.
“I would also like to address building accessibility and the existence of windows in residence hall showers, as well as any future and existing student concerns,” Eckoff added. “I believe Student Senate can help with these goals by providing a focused space to facilitate conversations and listen to everyone’s ideas.”
The voter turnout for this election was over 500 students. Lemon explained that this was an improvement from last year’s turnout of around 200 voters.
“I think that this larger increase in voter turnout speaks to the student body’s passion for Gettysburg,” Lemon said. “While the college has faced numerous challenges this year, both academic and college life related, this large voter turnout signals to me that students are becoming ever more passionate about having their voices at the table when it comes to decisions impacting their education.”
Woods shared, “…it was amazing to see that so many students are interested in the direction that the Senate chooses to go in next year. I believe that the impressive voter turnout also indicates that students want to see change on campus.”
