Twenty members of the Class of 1999 joined Palaeopitus, a group of seniors who advise the College president and the dean of the College, last Saturday night.
The members of Palaeopitus each year must be unanimously chosen by the graduating members of the group, current member Elizabeth Sumida '98 said. "If one person in the organization doesn't like someone, they don't get selected."
Next year's members include Kesner Bienvenu, Nancy Bloomfield, Shauna Brown, Frank DeLeon, James Gallo, Mia Hockett, Neelu Jain, Nahoko Kawakyu, Cara Mathews, Catherine McCarthy, Rahsaan Sales, Melanie Soares, David Sussman, Michael Tierney, Nicole Tsong, Georgianna Tsouhlarakis and Willy Wong.
The other three new members are ex-officio positions -- next year's intern to the College president, Kerry Bystrom, President of The Dartmouth Erin Loback and Class President-elect Rex Morey.
Palaeopitus co-chair Gilliar said four of the offices are usually ex-officio, but interpretation of the wording of the constitution meant only three ex-officio members for the Class of 1999.
"It says 20 people are chosen to represent the senior class ... but it also says that four of the offices are ex-officio," Gilliar said.
The fourth automatic office is for the Student Assembly president. Next year's Assembly president is Josh Green '00 -- not a member of next year's senior class.
"We went with the precedent," Gilliar said, referring to a similar situation last year when Frode Eilertsen '99 was elected president and not chosen to be on Palaeopitus. "It was more important that the students be seniors."
Neither Eilertsen nor Assembly Vice President-elect Case Dorkey '99 were selected for membership this year.
Gallo, however, is serving as vice president of the Assembly for this term, filling the vacancy created by the Kawakyu's Winter term resignation. Kawakyu had won the position last spring as a write-in candidate.
Gallo is also an intern at the Office of Residential Life and a member of the Casque and Gauntlet senior society.
Kawakyu has been involved in Class Council and the Tucker Foundation Leadership Encouragement and Development program.
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity President Bienvenu and co-founder of the Pan-Asian Council Wong are also in Casque and Gauntlet with Gallo.
Delta Delta Delta sorority president Mathews is a representative on the dean of the College search committee.
Last term, the Palaeopitus members from the Class of 1998 met with Bill King '63 who chaired the Presidential Search Committee, to discuss what they wanted to see in Dartmouth's next president.
This year's society also produced a video to tackle the perceptions of race and racism on campus to be distributed to freshman in the fall, according to member Marene Jennings '98.