Students elect 25th VSA Council

All voting completed and all results tabulated, Vassar students packed into the Retreat Monday, April 26, to hear the results of the Spring 2010 elections for the Vassar Student Association (VSA), announced by VSA Vice President for Operations and Elections co-Chair Brian Farkas '10 and President of Noyes and Elections co-Chair Hannah Groch-Begley '12.

Mat Leonard '11 was elected to be the 25th VSA President in a highly contested presidential race of four candidates. Leonard defeated runner-up Stephanie Damon-Moore '11 by just 25 votes. A record-breaking 1,526 students voted in the presidential election, about 54 percent of Vassar's student body.

"I am both thrilled and honored to be elected. This election reflects the continued commitment to democracy at this school, and I would encourage all students, not only those elected, to remain active in their government. It requires the voice of the students to make a successful VSA. This upcoming year, I will be working hard to make sure that the VSA is a tangible presence and powerful advocate for students—something that can only be done with continued input from everyone," wrote Leonard in an e-mailed statement.

Vassar's 25th VSA Executive Board will be comprised by a group of candidates with diverse qualifications. The positions of vice president for student life and vice president for academics will be held by outgoing President of Raymond House Syed Samin Shebab '11 and outgoing President of Strong House Laura Riker '11, respectively. Outgoing Sophomore Class President Tanay Tatum '12 will be vice president for activities, while assistant to the outgoing Vice President for Finance and outgoing Josselyn Sophomore Representative Travis Edwards will be vice president for finance. Former Editor-in-Chief of The Miscellany News Ruby Cramer '12 was elected vice president for operations.

Shehab, who in the Executive Board debate wished for the VSA to be a "proactive governing body and not a reactive one," was elected as vice president of student life over Daryl Duran '12, who came in second in vote counts.

Among other things, Shehab aims to "invest in the idea of shared space and increase community involvement at Vassar." He also wants to put in place a "Sexual Assault and Violence Charge for the Student Conduct process."

Cramer, elected vice president for operations, indicates that she intends to "strengthen connections with alumnae/i, incorporate graduates into current campus events and continue to centralize the VSA website." As former Editor-in-Chief of The Miscellany News, Cramer is the only member of the Executive Board who has never held an officer position on the VSA.

Running unopposed, Riker was elected vice president for academics. Riker says in her statement that she wants to "continue the push for a half-credit for labs [and] the creation of an academic safe space on campus where ideas of social consciousness and awareness can be taught, discussed and shared."

Sophomore representative for Josselyn House Edwards was elected vice president for finance. Edwards aims to "streamline the VCash machine network, establish a transparent and explicit rubric for fund allocation and provide a more inclusionary framework for students who struggle with liquidity issues."

Tatum, who was elected as vice president for activities, plans to "bring more alums back to campus [and promote] more creative programming on campus" according to her Candidate's Statement. "I'm really excited for next year," said Tatum after the results were announced. Alluding to the fact that it is Vassar's 150th year anniversary, Tatum expressed enthusiasm for her upcoming duties. "Next year is going to be a big year for programming," said Tatum.

Before kicking off the reading of election results, outgoing VSA Vice President for Operations and Board of Elections co-Chair Brian Farkas offered advice for candidates, saying, "There will be some losers tonight. I hope that you not become bitter…everyone here has a role in shaping Vassar. We are a school by the people and for the people."

Referring to many of the positions that were uncontested, elected President of Josselyn House Dan Flynn ‘13 said,"That guy ‘No' gave me a run for my money." Indeed, there were a number of positions that went uncontested, including Executive Board positions of vice president for operations and vice president for academics. Voters had the option of selecting "No"; had the majority of constituents chosen this option, the Appointments Committee would fill the vacant position.

At this point, there are a number of vacant positions that need to be filled, which include House Team position and class representatives to the Judicial Board and Joint Committees. VSA Elections sent out an e-mail to the student body the night of the Results Party with a full list of these open positions, including instructions on how to apply for them. VSA Council will vote on the appointments at their next meeting.

Said outgoing VSA President Caitlin Ly '10, "I'm a little sad to be going…I'm still in shock." But Ly was sure she left the VSA in good hands. "I'm sure Mat's going to do a great job…I'm really excited about next year's executive board, and I wish them good luck."