As this year’s Cluster Council welcomed new leaders this past Wednesday, the elections featured new policies for electing Senior Representatives and varying cabinet positions from cluster to cluster. This year, Cluster Deans decided to allow only rising seniors in the Class of 2012 to vote for their Senior Representative in cluster elections. Cindy Efinger, Dean of West Quad South Cluster, said, “In considering the positions for cluster council, we felt that Senior Representatives from each cluster should be selected by students in their own grade, the same way an Upper Rep would be chosen by Uppers and a Lower Rep would be chosen by Lowers.” The change was implemented by distributing separate ballots for the rising Senior Class, Uppers, and the rest of the remaining classes. Rising seniors were given colored ballots, including the Senior Representative poll, and the remaining classes were given white ballots. Because no candidates applied for the position of Senior Representative in the Abbot Cluster, the second place candidate for Cluster President will also serve that role on Abbot’s Cluster Council. Due to the shortage of female Uppers in their Cluster, Abbot will also have two male DC Representatives this year, Alexander Schneider ’12 and Tobi Coker ’12, a shift from years past and other clusters. Elisa Joel, Dean of the Abbot Cluster, said, “I have noticed that the position with the least participation is the Senior Representative. Oftentimes, students in the cluster overlook the importance of this role as a link between both Student Council and Cluster Council.” Ryan Ramos ’12 will step in to fill the role of Senior Representative for the Abbot Cluster this year. Zachary Sturman ’12 will also join him as Abbot’s Cluster president. “I don’t think that there is a downside to having two male DC Reps, it is more out of necessity than anything else. Tobi and I are more than qualified than to be Abbot’s DC reps, we both have a lot of experience with the process and truly understand how it all works,” said Schneider. This change will mark one of the first instances in which a Cluster has had two DC Representatives of the same gender. “I don’t think that there is any doubt when it comes to our classmates trusting us to help them through this stressful process. However, if there is a female student who does not feel comfortable with either Tobi or I being present and helping with their DCs, I’m sure that we can have someone else there for her. Our goal as DC reps is to make sure that the student feels as comfortable as possible as they go through the process,” Schneider continued. Kaitlin Poor ’13 and Amelia Galvin ’13 will function as the two Abbot Cluster day student representatives. Chris Nanda ’12 and Terrence Arjoon ’12 will be Abbot’s Social Functions Co-Heads. In the Flagstaff Cluster, Deena Butt ’12 will take over as Cluster President with Minymoh Anelone ’12 by her side as Senior Representative. Katie Benvenuti ’12 and Trey Jennings ’12 will act as DC Representatives, while Drew D’Alelio ’12 and Kevin Jiang ’12 will play the roles of Day Student Representatives. “I was surprised to see no one else wanted the position of DC Rep. It is a pretty large commitment, but there is usually more competition there.” In Pine Knoll Cluster, Ceylon Auguste-Nelson ’12 will serve as Cluster President, accompanied by Madison Grant ‘12, Senior Representative, Arianna Brenner ’12 and Jack Sykes ’12, DC Representatives, Jimmy Hunter ’13, Day Student Representative, and Evan Eads ’12 and Keely Henesey ’12, Social Functions Co-Heads. West Quad North’s Cluster President this year will be Julianna Wessels ‘12. By her side will be Vidush Mahansaria ’12, Senior Representative, David Russell ‘12 and Molly Levene ‘12, DC Representatives, Michael Kim ’13, Social Functions Head, Cam Marose ‘13, Upper Day Student Representative, and Nikhil Dixit ’12, Senior Day Student Representative. West Quad North is the only cluster to have both an Upper and Senior Day Student Representative on Cluster Council this year. In West Quad South, Myles O’Neill ’12 was elected Cluster President accompanied by Ben Sharf ’12, Senior Representative, and Shanera Brodie ’12 and Ricky Goldstein ’12, DC Representatives. In every cluster this year, at least two races for Cluster Council went uncontested. Joel said, “My experience is that it is not unusual to have maybe one or two uncontested races in every year’s Cluster Council elections.” “With so many positions opening up to Uppers in the spring, students are forced to make decisions as to where they want to put their energy. And I don’t think this lack of participation in some cluster position signifies students not interested in being leaders, nor do I feel like the quality of the candidates is affected in any way,” she continued.
