With the votes of the Class of 2008 and Class of 2011 Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) elections tallied, headlining the contest was Jon Ragins '08, who eked out a one-vote victory, 144 to 143, over classmate Anne Pierce '08 for the Class of 2008 treasurer position.
In other races, Andrew Fried '08 has recaptured his role as Class of 2008 president. Fried, who was class president as a first year and sophomore, secured his victory with a resounding 252-41 vote over contender Jordan Fliegel '08.
Fried approaches the class presidency with both experience and energy.
"A lot of us were abroad last year, and now we're back at Bowdoin for our final year together," he explained in an e-mail to the Orient. "I'm looking forward to working with a great team to make senior year activities and events the best yet."
Joining Fried in office is Nathan Krah '08, who returns as class vice president after trouncing competitor Andrew Hippert '08 with a 185-95 vote. Hoping to listen more to his classmates, Krah hopes to foster more dialogue between officers and the student body.
"We have many peers with different interests and talents," said Krah, who also served as vice president during his junior year. "As someone who represents this diverse group, it is my obligation to cater to everyone's interests."
Krah also emphasized the importance of student involvement. "I want to keep up our commitment to the Common Good," he wrote. "We can do a better job getting our class out into the community by sponsoring events and setting an example ourselves."
Ragins, as the Class of 2008 treasurer, wants to avoid the financial problems that plagued the Class of 2007, especially those involving Senior Week.
"I think it's really about trying to plan as many things in advance as we can," Ragins said.
Benjamin LeHay '08 ran uncontested for one of the two BSG representative positions.
"I'm very excited," LeHay said. "This year's BSG will be all about addressing students' needs and desired changes on campus. Now that BSG has its structural stability, it's time to focus on accomplishing a long list of our goals."
There will be a separate appointment process for the second BSG representative spot, as well as for the presently unfilled community service officer position. These decisions will be made by both class and BSG officers.
In the Class of 2011 elections, Houston Kraft '11 enjoyed a decisive victory over his four opponents for class president, beating the closest competitor by 76 votes. Isa Abney '11 also defeated four contenders to win the class vice presidency and will be joined by Treasurer Kyle Dempsey '11, BSG Representatives Hannah Bruce '11 and Justin Foster '11, and Community Service Officer Karl Nyangoni '11, all of whom ran uncontested.
"It was good to see some great enthusiasm from the first-year class, particularly with the presidential race," BSG President Dustin Brooks '08 wrote in an e-mail.
"I plan to get the most out of our class's money, spending it on worthwhile events and causes," Dempsey also wrote in an e-mail. "Our class is the most diverse group that Bowdoin has ever had. I feel that we all have a lot to gain and learn about from one another."
Kraft shares this outlook, stressing that "daily acts and events that eventually build into a larger impact across campus" will be central to his philosophy as class president.
While Brooks lamented that some senior offices remain unfilled, he is optimistic about how BSG is shaping up.
"We're going to start working on issues that will impact students' daily lives," he stated. "My hope for the year is that students will come to us with their ideas about improving the College."