Hello everyone. It’s hard to believe that we’re half way through our second semester. It is the time of year where we start thinking about bringing closure to our work. The Senate is preparing to wrap up its projects in the next five weeks and prepare for the transition to next year’s student government. For the next few weeks I will be giving my column to members of the Senate who will report on their progress and keep you informed.
This week you will be hearing from Mary Kate Ditursi and Leslie Granger. Ditursi is a graduate student who has been affiliated with student government long before I arrived! She chairs the Rules and Elections Committee which is primarily responsible for running elections. Finally, she is an instrumental member of the Senate and a personal friend and advisor. Granger is leading the group in charge of the Senate sponsored GM Week bonfire outside the Union. She has been involved with the Senate for two years, and I’m expecting great results from her team!
• My name is Mary Kate Ditursi. I am the chair of the Rules and Elections Committee. GM Week 2003 is fast approaching. This year, it will run from April 4-11. The week will feature many contests, events, and activities, including the tradition on which GM Week is founded: student government elections.
On April 7 and 10, students will elect next year’s Grand Marshal, President of the Union, class officers, independent council members, and student senators. This is for both undergraduate and graduate students! Candidate registration starts tomorrow and continues through the next few weeks.
Anybody who is interested in running, or even in just finding out more, should go to the elections website at http://elections.union.rpi.edu/ and also should come to one of the candidate information meetings. There’s one tomorrow at 9 pm, and another next Monday at 10 pm. Both meetings are in Union Room 3502. There will be more meetings as well.
Finally, the Rules and Elections committee of the Student Senate—known to all as RNE—is the group that runs the GM Week Elections. A high degree of professionalism and integrity is required of RNE members, and they are prohibited from being members of a GM Week political party and from running for GM or PU. Though the time commitment is significant, RNE can be a very rewarding experience. RNE still has openings—those who are interested should contact me at RNE@union.rpi.edu.
• Hello, my name is Leslie Granger. I am a junior class senator and am leading the bonfire group. Many people seem to have forgotten that GM Week isn’t just for the people running for a political office. The GM Week legacy is also about students having fun. On April 6, we are inviting everyone to come out and enjoy a Senate sponsored bonfire outside the Union! And before anyone asks, you cannot throw your laptop, your textbooks, your IED notebook, your CAD CD, your freshman roommate who never showered, that professor who wouldn’t give you a B, even though you were only three points away, or any other persons who have annoyed you in your college career (including the guy who gave you your last four parking tickets), into the fire. You can however, come hang out with the current senators, class representatives, and our GM and PU, and any candidates for next year. Get some free food and refreshments and most of all have fun. The semester is almost over, so why not get in one more crazy night before finals week? To find out more about the projects that the Senate is working on, check out http://senate.union.rpi.edu/.
