Freshman have choice for council
By JOE TROMBELLO
News Writer
Freshmen will elect either Matt Goulet from Stanford, James Leito from Siegfried, Michael Rooney from Alumni or Matt Somma from Knott for sophomore class council president today.
"When the sophomore class officers are elected, they decide how they would like to have their council look," said Amy Geist, freshman class council sponsor.
Goulet's ticket includes vice-president Ralph Pantony, treasurer Justin O'Neill and secretary Matt Beck. If elected, Goulet hopes to appoint one member from the Class of 2006 to the South Bend municipal council meetings to foster greater communication between Notre Dame and the South Bend community.
Other platform ideas include holding a Yacht Club-themed dance for the soon-to-be sophomores and monthly class Mass, implementing a life-skills program to teach basic concepts like cooking and checking balancing, changing North Dining Hall hours to close at 7:30 p.m. and expanding the SafeWalk program.
Letio, on a ticket with Kate Distler, Mark Seiler and Anna Skoien, promised social events like sophomore tailgates, dinners, dances, dorm rivalries and class trips to foster a greater sense of community and class spirit. The Leito platform includes changing North Dining Hall hours from 5 to 7:30 p.m., improving student basketball seating in the Joyce Center, expanding the current roommate survey sent by the First Year of Studies and changing the DART system. This is the only freshman class council ticket with previous student government experience.
Rooney's ticket includes Brittany Radcliffe, Evan Dewalt and Kathyrn Finn. They want to create new traditions such as a kick-off party and dance to start the sophomore year, a sophomore rally and a Class of 2006 concert with big-name bands chosen by class members.
Their platform also includes the creation of an expanded class register with more detailed information about classmates, a Hooligan Club similar to the Leprechaun Legion but inclusive of other sporting events and late-night weekend food sales.
Somma's ticket features fellow Knott residents Clayton Allison, Matt Stefanski and Ben Nickol. Although they do not have a formal platform or Web site, Somma said his ticket plans to create more feasible changes than other tickets have suggested.
Somma said open forum discussions and a more in-depth register will allow for greater communication and interaction between class members and an understanding of what the Class of 2006 would like their government to accomplish
In the event that no ticket gains a majority vote, a run-off election will be held Thursday.
All News Stories for Monday, February 24, 2003
