After a three-day election period in which over 30 freshmen and transfer students campaigned across campus, four freshmen and one transfer student were elected to serve on the Student Assembly for the upcoming academic year.
Ian Harris ’16, Matthew Stefanko ’16, Thomas Garrison Lovely ’16 and Juliana Batista ’16 were announced Wednesday as the S.A.’s freshmen representatives, while Inge Chen ‘15 was elected as the transfer at-large representative.
Harris garnered the highest number of votes in the election, which lasted from Monday to Wednesday.
He said he hopes to improve communication between the student body and the S.A. To that end, his campaign promises included the formation of an S.A. online discussion group; providing improved guidance for students as they select their courses each semester; and the promotion of “safe and fun ways” for freshmen to join Greek life.
Stefanko, who received the second-highest number of votes, said he is excited to make good on his campaign platform, which includes the improvement of late-night entertainment options as well as student health and safety initiatives.
“I am incredibly gracious for the opportunity to represent Cornell students and everyone in the Class of 2016,” Stefanko said.
Batista echoed the need to improve the social scene for students while emphasizing student health and safety. Among her goals are making the TCAT bus system more user-friendly and increasing the operating hours of North Campus dining halls.
Lovely also cited the need for greater accessibility to North Campus facilities, vowing to provide “busy, hungry students” with greater access to dining halls and fitness centers.
“I will create initiatives to open RPCC for breakfast and lunch and to open the Appel fitness center earlier in the day and on weekends,” he said in his platform.
Lovely said he is excited to begin his term on the S.A.
“I can’t express my gratitude enough to all my friends and supporters who made this possible,” he added. “This is more about them than it is about me.”
Inge Chen –– who was elected as the transfer at-large representative by a margin of only 12 votes –– said she hopes she can engage her fellow transfer students in bringing their “diverse perspectives” and “innovative ideas” to strengthen and connect the transfer student community.
“Even though I’m a new student, I believe the S.A. is a great way to promote positive change on campus,” she said. “Can’t wait to get to work tomorrow!”
Original Author: Sylvia Rusnak