Running unopposed, Joe Hanlon '05 and Merrick Johnston '05 were named co-presidents of the Dartmouth Outing Club at the organization's annual election meeting last night.
The club -- the College's largest student group, with over 1,200 undergraduate members -- serves as an umbrella organization for several divisions and clubs, including the Ledyard Canoe Club, the Dartmouth Ski Patrol and the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club.
Only around 25 students attended the vote, however, held after a dinner at the club's property on Occom Pond. The in-person balloting of this year's election differed from the election of the previous year, which was conducted by BlitzMail.
"We wanted to make sure that all of the people who were voting were actually DOC members. It was too complicated over Blitz," outgoing Outing Club President Brad Leneis '03 said.
The presidents-elect plan to alternate terms in charge, with Hanlon serving as president this coming Spring term and next fall and Johnston presiding this summer. The two have not yet decided who will lead the Outing Club next Winter term, they said.
In a joint speech before the vote, the two candidates stressed their desire to forge greater unity from among the 11 member clubs that comprise the Outing Club.
"I think there should be DOC pride instead of just Ledyard pride or DMC pride," Johnston said.
The newly elected presidents also emphasized the need to involve more College students in Outing Club events.
"There are a lot of people who say, 'I want to do something in the outdoors,' but don't do anything. We want to make it easier to get involved," Hanlon said.
Outgoing leadership expressed great satisfaction with the organization's new heads. "Both of them are young, they're energetic and they're fantastic people," Leneis said. "It's going to be a really good thing for the club."
Although they identified attributes they hoped to change, the Outing Club's new leaders were confident in their ability to guide the club in the coming year. Johnston anticipated that her greatest challenge would be having to "spend time doing logistics and planning when I actually want to be playing."
The Outing Club has frequently been led by two co-presidents. Club leaders serve for four terms and supervise the Outing Club's popular DOC Trips -- five day-long outdoor excursions for incoming College students. According to the website of the Outing Club, over 85 percent of first-year students participated in a DOC Trip this year.
The vice-president and secretary for the Outing Club have not yet been named, according to Hanlon and Johnston.
