Will Hix '12 and Max Yoeli '12 will run for student body president in this year's Student Assembly election, they announced to The Dartmouth on Wednesday.
Hix, who ran for student body vice president last year, has held several Assembly positions since his freshmen year, including cluster representative, Student Services Committee chair and Assembly speaker, he said in an interview with The Dartmouth. Hix also serves on the Council on Student Organizations, is a member of the Dodecaphonics and is involved with the Rockefeller Center. While Hix is registered as a government major, he said he is considering majoring in economics instead.
Yoeli, who declined to speak with The Dartmouth regarding his candidacy, served as co-chair of the Student and Presidential Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee. SPAHRC was established to investigate alcohol consumption on campus and propose policies that promote student safety. The committee presented its recommendations to President Jim Yong Kim and other administrators in May 2010, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Yoeli is also the former social chair of Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity.
Candidates running for Assembly positions must submit a petition with 100 signatures to the Election Planning and Advisory Committee by April 6 and can begin their respective campaigns on April 9, according to the 2011 EPAC guidelines. During the week leading up to the April 15 election, candidates will discuss their campaign platforms in a series of three debates hosted by the Assembly, the Interfraternity Council and The Dartmouth, EPAC Chair Harry Enten '11 said in an email to The Dartmouth.
Hix said his campaign will focus on the way he hopes to approach various issues including the College alcohol policy, the Assembly's Course Guide, student services, student representation, dining services and accountability if elected.
Hix also said he plans to alter the committees established by current Student Body President Eric Tanner '11 to reflect students' present needs.
"There has been lots of discussion about structural changes," Hix said. "Structure is important, but ethos is more important."
Hix said he hopes to increase students' involvement in student government and plans to increase attendance at Assembly meetings by holding regular Assembly meetings, creating a mentorship program between Assembly upperclassmen and freshman and posting a calendar to publish Assembly goals and timelines.
At an EPAC meeting on March 1, Enten announced that this year's election process would undergo several changes. Instead of choosing the most desired candidate via the "instant runoff" voting method, voters can choose multiple candidates using a new "approval voting" system, in which students can vote "yes" for as many candidates as they like.
Enten also announced a recent EPAC policy change barring students who have been suspended from the College from running for student body president or vice president.
The Assembly will vote on a proposed amendment to allow for students who have been suspended to compete in the upcoming election on April 5, according to an email from the Assembly's executive board to the Assembly obtained by The Dartmouth.
