On Monday, September 21, Marist College sent their yearly emails out to their student body about the upcoming Student Government Association (SGA) elections.
The results were announced on Wednesday, September 23 via stream from the Student Center River rooms.
Each year, the usual main event for these votes is to decide the president of the freshmen class. This year, the Marist College class of 2024 was the highlight of the vote as they will find out their president, and more. Alongside the freshmen presidential election does come other positions up for grabs.
One of those other positions is the North End Representative.
On August 31, the SGA had 20 spots open and waiting for students to apply and fill the much needed positions.
Less than a month later, many vacancies are filled, including the North End Representative.
This year, Rhinebeck native / resident, and senior at Marist College, Vincent Santo ran unopposed for this position. Santo was excited for the opportunity to continue his journey with SGA and when he found out he was running unopposed, he was even more excited.
“It would have been cool to run against someone and have a competition, I’m a competitor and always have been,” Santo said. “But it’s nice to not have any stress about the results and now I can get started on my work earlier.”
Since Santo is the newly elected North End Representative, his tasks and job come with lots of responsibility.
“My job is to use my leadership and communication skills to serve as a direct voice for north end residents,” Santo said. “My objective is to ensure that the concerns of north end residents are properly addressed and resolved in a timely manner.”
“I encourage students to communicate with me directly regarding any issues they are having and share with me any ideas they have that can improve the student experience on the north end,” Santo continued.
Becoming a North End Representative hits close to home for the Rhinebeck resident. He has been around the Dutchess County Community his entire life and grew up with Marist. This moment of being elected is very bitter sweet for him as he continues his final year of school.
“I can’t believe that I am a senior and old enough to run for this position,” the 22-year-old said. “I don’t want my time at Marist to end, so I’m going to enjoy this victory and everything else along the way.”
Being in a position of power for SGA is nothing new for Santo though. Santo joined SGA his sophomore year and has been apart of the association for two official years, after the conclusion of this year, it will be his third, and last.
“Being apart of the Student Government Association has been a rewarding experience because I have been able to forge bonds with my peers, faculty, and staff,” Santo said. “I have also been able to participate in a myriad of initiatives that have improved campus life for our student body.”
The giddy Santo couldn’t contain his excitement and he wants to get started right away. He knows the responsibilities will add up and with the continued workload he receives from his classes, it will not be easy, but he looks forward to the challenge.
“I just have to manage my time correctly and make sure I get everything done in a timely fashion so I can properly serve those on the North End of campus,” Santo said. “I am a competitor, I like to compete with others, but I also enjoy competing with myself, I look forward to challenging myself and I know I’m going to handle it well.”
As the results are revealed late at night, Santo will eagerly get to work starting this week. He wants to make sure no student feels left out or uncomfortable when on campus, especially on the north end side.
“I hold myself to a high standard, especially when it comes to something related with the student government association,” Santo said. “I need to make sure everyone knows I’m here if they need something and that I’ll always be willing to help.”
Santo is the veteran of a young SGA squad this year. A lot of the positions that were there for the taking were taken by the promising 2024 freshmen class.
“Good for Marist, they should be proud of themselves, the future looks very bright for this school,” Santo said. “The freshmen are so smart and from the short talks I’ve had with them, they are going to use those smarts to help better the school.”
With the veteran leadership of Santo, and his young promising SGA squad, Marist has good personnel at the helm of the student government association.
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