With the campaign period for Student Assembly elections commencing today, Maya Granit '11 has withdrawn from the race due to personal concerns, she said in an interview with The Dartmouth on Thursday.
"This position takes so much of your personal life, and it needs to be gratifying enough internally for whoever's in the position to make that OK," said Granit, who left the race yesterday. "I'm not passionate enough about all aspects of the position to feel satisfied."
Granit's decision leaves three candidates Elena Falloon '11, Uthman Olagoke '11 and Eric Tanner '11 in the race for Student Body President in the upcoming Student Assembly elections. Will Hix '12 and Brandon Aiono '11 are running for student body vice president.
Despite rescinding her candidacy, Granit said she may stay involved in student government and that she has enjoyed the election process.
"The experience of campaigning so far and everyone I've spoken to and all the conversations I've had have been so positive," Granit said. "I'm stepping away and I'm happy with it."
Granit said she hopes whichever candidate is elected will be "innovative" enough to effect change within the Assembly.
"I think our student government needs to be critically examined," she said. "The way it functions and the way it's structured, it's not able to reflect the real concerns of students."
Granit said her time speaking with students about some of these real concerns has motivated her to effect change and shown the Assembly can be made more representative.
The remaining candidates are allowed to begin campaigning today at 5 p.m., and students will vote online on April 19.
Falloon's involvement in the Assembly began her freshman year and she has served on the Student Services committee of the Assembly. A government and Hispanic Studies double major from Munster, Ind., Falloon completed a transfer term at Oxford in the Fall, she said.
"I recognize how the tone of [the Assembly] changes based on the administration," Falloon said. "I think I have a very clear vision in mind of what [the Assembly] has the potential of being in order to achieve the goals I have."
Falloon was a Dartmouth Outing Club trip leader, has served on H-Croo and will be one of two H-Croo Chiefs this fall. She is also a member of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority.
"I feel like every day I have a new challenge, and that's the best part of the Dartmouth experience," she said.
Olagoke is an admissions intern and tour guide, as well as a Diversity Peer Advisor. He is currently serving on the Health Care subcommittee of the Student and Presidential Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee, he said.
A government major and sociology minor from Staten Island, N.Y., Olagoke recently led the Alternative Spring Break trip to San Francisco and leads North Country Weekend, a community service program that brings inner-city youth to Dartmouth for a weekend to encourage them to go to college.
Olagoke hopes to make the Assembly a more "collaborative organization" on campus, he said.
"Dartmouth has a very diverse group of people in terms of personalities and interests, and I learn a lot from these diverse people, not just in the classroom but interacting with them on a daily basis," Olagoke said.
Olagoke said he thinks he is easy to approach about any campus issues because he cannot easily be labelled.
Tanner, who has been involved in the Assembly since his freshman year, serves on the Committee on Standards and the Dean of the College's Social Event Management Procedures student advisory board, he said.
"I've observed [the Assembly] and been a part of it for three years, and I feel like now I know what works and what doesn't," he said.
A geography major and art history minor from New York City, Tanner spent Winter term teaching English to sixth grade students in the Marshall Islands. He is also a tour guide and social chair for Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity, he said.
"I think that [Dartmouth] has a unique culture that kind of creates a bond for all the students, whether it's through BlitzMail or talking about facetime," Tanner said. "The things that make Dartmouth people cling to each other post-graduation are part of what makes Dartmouth such a special place as an undergrad."
Both vice presidential candidates have been involved in the Assembly since their freshman years.
Aiono said he believes the Assembly needs to work to increase and retain its membership, which he has seen decreasing during his time at the College.
After taking a break from the Assembly at the beginning of his junior year, Aiono chose to run for vice president because he wants to make the Assembly more accessible to all students, he said.
"Dartmouth is a campus full of extraordinary individuals who are very humble about who they are," he said. "People are just happy to be here and happy to be with each other."
Aiono has served as presidential assistant on the Assembly executive committee and is a member of the Green Key Society. A member of Chi Gam, Aiono serves as a tour guide, Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisor, and Sexpert, he said. He is an economics and psychology double major and Chinese Studies minor from Santa Cruz, California.
Hix, the current Assembly spokesman, was chair of the Student Services Committee during Fall term of his sophomore year and currently serves on the COS, SBAC and is the chair of the Health Care Committee of SPAHRC, he said.
Hailing from Dallas, Texas, he is a member of the Dodecaphonics and is majoring in government with a minor in public policy.
"Being at a small liberal arts college like Dartmouth allows you develop relationships that are best conducive to a college education and discovering yourself," Hix said. "There's so much student choice and academic freedom here that you can explore and really develop your interests."
He decided to run for vice president after he became disillusioned with the Assembly during Winter term of his freshman year, noticing the low retention rate of Assembly members, he said.
The candidates will participate in three debates next week. The first debate, sponsored by The Dartmouth, will take place Sunday, while the Assembly will host a debate Tuesday and the Interfraternity Council will host a debate Wednesday.
Tanner is a staff photographer for The Dartmouth.
