Though it is not yet November, the typical election month in the United States, elections are upon us at Iona College with the election of the new Student Government Association for the 2011-2012 academic year. 

On March 3 in the Romita Auditorium of Ryan Library, debates were held between students Merissa Doyle, Jessica Nealon, Vincent Sorrentino, Andrew Casalino, Jessica Sola, Bridget Rohde, William May, Timothy Montalvo and Anthony Berni running for the six Executive Board positions.

The debates began with an introduction by outgoing SGA Executive Vice President Michael Petre.  After warm welcomes and formal introduction by of all the candidates, the debates began.

 Montalvo, running unopposed for Vice President of Internal Affairs, began the debates by promising the student body fresh ideas.  Though he is an incumbent running unopposed, Montalvo stressed his unwavering passion and dedication for the position.

Berni, running unopposed for Vice President for Finance, spoke second.  A Finance major with experience as club treasurer and SGA class senator, Berni stressed how his interests and experiences directly correlate to success in the position.  Sorrentino, another student running unopposed, spoke next about his qualifications for Executive Vice President.  Sorrentino highlighted his experiences outside the classroom as member of the Tara Knights society and Treasurer and President of IC Green.

Berni closed his speech off joking “Vote for me; you don’t have much of a choice.” 

Though students Montalvo, Berni and Sorrentino are running opposed, each candidate needs 51% of the student vote to win the position. There is an option on the ballot to vote for no one. Each candidate  needs to receive a majority of the vote regardless of competition (or lack thereof) for the position.

 May and Rohde spoke next – both vying for the position of  Vice President for Administration. Rohde, a freshman, acknowledged that while she has not been on campus for long, she has gotten involved in numerous clubs and enjoys being involved.  May, a junior, discussed his leadership positions in Campus Ministries and various other clubs.  May also highlighted one of his failures, the unfolding of his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, as proof he is not afraid of failure.

Casalino and Sola, candidates for Vice President for Communication, spoke next.  Casalino talked about his desire to be a catalyst of growth at Iona and his disposition as a “people person” to help him succeed in the position.  Sola stressed her experiences as numerous club secretaries, a Campus Ministries office assistant, her passion for Iona and her leadership skills as assets for the position.

Finally, the candidates for SGA President Doyle and Nealon took the stage to contest for the top E-Board position. 

Doyle gave a lively speech about how her passion for Iona has increased during her undergraduate career, and how much she would love to be the student body leader of Iona’s campus.  Nealon took the stage next – talking about her various E-Board positions, her passion for Iona and her natural instincts as a leader.

Doyle and Nealon then took questions from the audience concerning their plans for next year and the introduction of the new Iona College President Joseph Nyre.

Elections for all of the SGA E-Board positions have been going on for a week. The Ionian encourages all students who have not voted to take advantage of the last opportunity to vote in the SGA elections on March 10 from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. in the Robert V. LaPenta Student Union.