Acorn

Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Victoria Webbe Newly elected SGA President Dana Etkowicz (center right) and Vice-president Maria Gonzalez (center, blue shirt) shown engulfed by friends and supporters, react emotionally to last night's election results.

Media Credit: Liz Bowers Students line up outside the University Center to cast their vote in the SGA presidential election yesterday afternoon.

Dana Etkowicz ('09) speaks while Maria Gonzalez ('09) prepares notes during Tuesday's SGA debate in the UC lounge.

The Drew University Student Government Association made history last night. In a landslide victory, Dana Etkowicz ('09) and Maria Gonzalez ('09) became the first all female ticket in Drew history with 336 votes. Students also voted Dominique Wilburn ('10) as ECAB Chair and Andrew Cronholm ('08), Jen Dugan ('08) and Ryosuki Kuroki ('08) as the top three finalists for senior speaker.

A total of 566 ballots were tallied at 11 p.m. after two hours of counting. The candidates sat with their friends and supporters in the University Center, waiting for the results to be posted. Etkowicz and Gonzalez, the University's first elected Latina vice president, became emotional upon reading the results and were immediately congratulated by students and faculty alike. "We're already trying to bring diversity through the people who supported us," Etkowicz said. Gonzalez feels that the support of the student body shows that their campaign for a unified campus is taking shape. "We're talking collaboration and the numbers proved it," she said.

Etkowicz feels that Drew is "breaking the norm" by electing a female president. "It's pretty amazing," she said. Gonzalez said that they were not intimidated by the males on campus because their campaign is centered on listening to the students in order to unify them. "What Dana and I have brought to the table is unity," Gonzalez said.

Elections Chair Kristin Bruno ('08) called the results "amazing," especially when compared to the current U.S. presidential campaign. "Drew is going with the times," she said. "I think they're going to do a great job."

Etkowicz and Gonzalez plan to hold a meeting between club co-chairs and sports team captains before the end of the semester or at the beginning of the fall semester. The purpose is "to set up agendas so the SGA can work with different clubs." They feel that everyone on campus should have a say and that everyone they have spoken to wants to come together as a campus. "We want to get everyone together to start having a conversation," Etkowicz said.

Dana wants to give students what they expected to get from Drew when they decided to attend. "I feel really good and that I can make changes," she said. She encourages the students to keep them working. "Come talk to us, we'll come talk to you."

For the rest of this semester, they want to reach out to the students. In September, they plan to tackle issues such as the rugby team not having a field to practice on and moving the campus forward on the Green Initiative, which they have already set aside $2000 for. "We are ready to start tomorrow," Etkowicz said. "Ready to start now."

Etkowicz said that it is important to work with both the students and the administration. She wants to get the administration more involved with the SGA meetings. "We want to hear what the administration has to say," she said. "The new administration coming means we get to start over." She hopes that the SGA can show the administration what they want from them.

"We're talking about steps here," Etkowicz said. "So the next SGA administration can keep it going." Etkowicz and Gonzalez's roles will officially take effect at the next SGA meeting.

Gonzalez says that students will be able to see changes. "The ideas are no longer going to be in the air. They are going to be on paper and, come September, you will see that take place. We are committed to what the senate and students want."

Etkowicz plans to run the SGA "somewhere in the middle between structure and laid back." She feels that being too strict and serious will discourage the senate from participating. "The big thing this year is that the senate wasn't perfect, so that needs to change."

Current SGA president Erik Emdur ('09) has "ultimate faith in the two of them."

Etkowicz wants to thank the other candidates and those who supported them. "I would love to see [the other candidates] out on the SGA next year," she said.

However, runner-up candidate Gabe Auteri ('09), whose campaign came in second with 175 votes, does not plan to participate in the SGA next year. "[The] SGA at this point is not a body that is best able to benefit the students. I believe it needs massive changes and I hope Maria and Dana can bring about those changes. I support [them] during their term. The student body has spoken and I hope [they] were right."

Auteri feels that he has been "ousted" from the SGA and is no longer in a position to "voice the concerns of the students having lost almost 2 to 1." He is proud of the number of students that voted and feels they "deserve to get what they voted for."

Etkowicz says that she did not expect to win. "I was very hard on myself," she said. "I didn't want to underestimate anyone. I now have confidence because the students have faith in me."

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