Class of 2003 reelects class officers
By ERIN LARUFFA
Associate News Editor
Following last Wednesday's primary, the remaining candidates in the three class council elections faced each other in a runoff on Friday.
In a close election reminiscent of the recent student body president election, the Class of 2003 reelected Matt Smith, Karen Lysaght, Nick Mastronardi and Josh Gentine as its class officers.
Smith and his ticket received 55 percent, just 62 votes more than the ticket of Steven Henriques, Edward Pettei, Brian Ostick and Catherine Disipio.
"I'm excited we get another whole six years," Smith said.
Senior class officers remain in office for five additional years after graduation to coordinate communication among class members and to plan events such as reunions.
Currently the class officers for the junior class, Smith, Lysaght, Mastronardi and Gentine plan to continue holding monthly class dinners, that Smith said "help to unite the class." He said they also intend to work with other campus organizations throughout the year.
"The theme in student government has been collaboration," Smith said. "There will definitely be collaboration with the office of the president and some smaller clubs."
Senior class officers are also involved with organizing Senior Week between final exams and their class' graduation ceremony.
"It's really the last time in this setting that you get to be with your friends," said Smith. "It's a memory that will last."
Smith admitted that both tickets in the race were concerned that voter turnout would be low, since the runoff election was held Friday. However, he said they were pleased to see that more juniors voted in the runoff than in Wednesday's primary.
In the election for Class of 2004 officers, Meghan O'Donnell, Pat Millea, Shawna Monson and Sonia Wallace received 57 percent of the vote, beating Jon Feczko, Sean McCarthy, Richard Mordini and Joseph Saliba.
"It's something I felt called to do and really wanted to do," O'Donnell said, who will serve as class president.
O'Donnell said that as most sophomores look ahead to junior year, their main concerns are going abroad and exploring career options.
"We want to try to bring unity to the junior class as the focus on those two areas," she said.
With the largest voter turnout of any class, 1009 votes, the Class of 2005 elected Jeremy Lao, Erika Bramley, Kenna Brewer and Matt Kinsella as its class officers. The ticket defeated Stephanie Aberger, Joe Sweigart, Andrea Brault and Kevin Leicht with 64 percent of the vote.
"I'm still coming to the realization that I was elected," Lao said, who will become sophomore class president. "But I feel lucky that the people chose our ticket."
At the same time, Lao praised Aberger's ticket, as well as the other tickets that ran in Wednesday's primary, for many of their platform ideas.
"We want to open up the class council to the people who ran in this election," he said. "All the tickets were commendable and therefore we want them to be a part of the council."
In fact, Lao said that this process of assembling the class council by both finding people who want to be involved and determining how to structure the council is his first priority now that he has been elected.
The new slates of class officers begin their terms in April.
All News Stories for Monday, March 4, 2002
