The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

Nine students elected to student government positions: Four new positions under revised structure

910+students+voted+in+the+most+recent+election+that+filled+9+positions+on+student+government.+%28Photo+by+Saeed+Malami+20%29.
910 students voted in the most recent election that filled 9 positions on student government. (Photo by Saeed Malami ’20).

The results are in: 910 students voted to select the following students to represent the campus for the 2018-19 academic year. These newly elected representatives will usher in the new structure of Lafayette College Student Government with their terms in office, with recently elected student government president Connor Burwell ’19 at the helm.

Vice President/Director of Student Organizations: Mia Coutinho ’20 (445 votes)

Treasurer/Budget Director: Maya Iyer ’20 (491 votes)

Executive Secretary/PR and Marketing Director: Nyla Durdin ’20 (405 votes)

Academic Affairs Director: Saeed Malami ’20 (311 votes)

Athletic Affairs Director: Sydney Sabino ’20 (415 votes)

Equity and Inclusion Director: Fraynette Familia ’20 (523 votes)

Greek Life Director: Olivia Sharp ’20 (337 votes)

Student Services Director: Dominic Zhang ’21 (278 votes)

Sustainability Director: David Nevins ’20 (750 votes)

Four of the nine positions are new under the structural changes to student government. The new positions are Executive Secretary/PR and Marketing Director, Athletic Affairs Director, Sustainability Director and Greek Life Director.

All of these positions will be responsible for creating committees of fellow students to help them with their respective responsibilities. Students will be selected for those committees on an application basis. Additionally, the Greek life committee will be required to have an unaffiliated student on board, and the athletic affairs committee will be required to have one non-athlete.

Coutinho, Durdin, Sabino and Iyer were all pleased with how their campaigns went. Coutinho and Durdin said they focused on social media campaigns, both seeing that as the most modern and effective way to reach voters. Sabino printed and posted flyers, running on a plan to push for early class registration for athletes and other student groups, something done at other Division 1 schools but not currently Lafayette.

Both Coutinho and Iyer served on Student Government in prior positions, which Coutinho credits as giving her “a lot of experience” to prepare for her new role. Iyer has worked on the budget during her time on Student Government and “already has ideas to further the budget committee and make it better.”

Durdin is new to student government and said she plans on applying her experience as her sorority’s PR Chair to her role as the first PR/Marketing Director.

“I think it’s going to be awesome to kind of pave the road for it and make it what I want it to be,” Durdin said.

Sabino is also new to student government. As a member of the women’s basketball team, she hopes to widen her connections on campus and also increase attendance at both varsity and club sporting events.

The mix of new and old faces is a recipe for success, Coutinho said, citing herself, Iyer and Malami as members with past experience.

“I worked to help craft the new election system and rewrite the bylaws, so that mixed with people who have not served before and have totally fresh ideas is going to be really successful,” Coutinho said.

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