Although the official deadline for students to declare their candidacies remains over a week away, several candidates for this month's Student Assembly election have already begun to formulate their campaigns. Brendan Hart '10, David Imamura '10, Boyd Lever '10 and John Nolan '10 will all run for student body president, The Dartmouth has confirmed.
The current confirmed field of student body vice presidential candidates includes Dmitriy Gutkovich '10, Cory Cunningham '10 and Zachary Mason '10. Cunningham is a member of The Dartmouth Senior Business Staff.
The field may expand, however, as students have until April 10 to submit petitions to have their name added to the ballot. Official campaigning begins on April 13.
Candidates will compete in at least four debates prior to elections, which will take place on April 20. The Dartmouth will host an Assembly presidential debate on April 13. Other debates, including one on Greek issues and others sponsored by the Assembly and Elections Planning and Advisory Committee, are tentatively scheduled for April 14, 15 and 19.
EPAC updated its rules on campaigning for the 2009 election to include stipulations on advertisements posted to Facebook and Youtube, according to EPAC Chair Justin Varilek '11.
"[The 2008 election] ran efficiently in the sense that there were minimal campaign violations," he said. "We could have had more communication between candidates as well as EPAC."
In order to foster this kind of communication, Varilek said EPAC is holding a dinner with the candidates.
"It provides a face to EPAC and gives [the candidates] someone to talk to when they have questions," he said.
Hart, a relative Assembly outsider, spent three years in the Marine Corps before beginning college and transferred to Dartmouth from the University of Maryland after his freshman year.
Imamura, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and vice president of the Interfraternity Council, currently serves as the Assembly's spokesperson and has been a member of the organization since his freshman year.
Lever, a member of Chi Heorot Fraternity, said he has attended Assembly meetings periodically over the past three years but has not held a position or served on a committee.
Nolan is a member of the Green Key Society. He confirmed that he is running for president in an e-mail to The Dartmouth, but could not be reached for further comment.
Vice presidential candidates Gutkovich, Mason and Cunningham are all members of the Assembly. Cunningham was committee chair of the Student Life committee his sophomore and junior years, while Mason was a part of the Student Organizations committee. Gutkovich is the presidential assistant to current Student Body President Molly Bode '09.
