Though Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) will not officially convene until next Wednesday, the College was abuzz with activity as the senior class elected its officer team. The results were made available to the Orient after polls closed at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
Christian Adams prevailed over Willy Wilder for the presidency of the Class of 2009 with 163 votes. Jeremy Kraushar, with 165 votes, was elected vice president over Michael Julian. In a close race, 123 to 103 votes, Arden Klemmer defeated Spencer Ho for the position of treasurer. The BSG representatives for the senior class, in an uncontested race, are Caroline Burns and Ian Yaffe.
In addition, students also voted for at-large representatives to BSG. Esther Sosa '11 and Nyle Usmani '12 were uncontested in that race.
In the upcoming week, campaigning and elections for the first-year class council will take place. First-year elections were pushed back a week this year, according to BSG President Sophia Seifert '09, in an "effort to better support the first-year class council."
In the past, Seifert noted, first-year candidates and voters were not as informed as they could be.
"Hopefully we'll end up with a stronger class council and it will lead to a better year for everyone involved," Seifert said. "There's been unbelievable interest from first years. People have been asking smart questions and really trying to see themselves in the roles."
Though BSG has not yet met due to the academic school year starting a week later than usual, the Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC) has been up and running for three weeks, providing student groups with funds for various activities.
New organizations, however, will have to wait until BSG meets next week in order to begin the chartering process. The committee that approves student organizations will not be formed until after the October 1 meeting.
The enthusiasm of first years aligns well with Seifert's goals for the upcoming year, the primary one of which is working on "a culture of engagement." Seifert noted that last spring, students were heavily engaged in BSG, with over 1000 people voting in the elections and "thinking of ways student government can be a resource to them."
"We're looking to continue that momentum," said Seifert.