Following the recent Assembly election, Kantaria will step down as president while facilitating the transition of leadership to Student Body President-elect Adrian Ferrari '14 and Student Body Vice President-elect Michael Zhu '14.
Kantaria said in an interview at the beginning of fall term that Student Assembly leaders would focus on dispelling myths of its perceived inactivity by increasing communication and programming. Looking back, Kantaria said students often believe that the Assembly is ineffective and inactive, but he felt the Assembly had made tangible progress under his leadership.
"I question the factual basis of the claim that SA doesn't do anything," he said. "When people do pay attention and when they take advantage of these programs, they appreciate it. The results aren't always quantifiable, necessarily."
Kantaria said the Assembly suffered from declining membership over the past several years, specifically during the tenures of former presidents Eric Tanner '11 and Max Yoeli '12.
"I think the largest disappointment was our inability to create a large membership," he said.
Much of the burden of managing the Assembly and the student body relies on the work of its members, Ferrari said.
"The things Suril and Julia have already expressed to me, with the benefit of hindsight, is that it's important to have dedicated committee chairs who come to the table with ideas they want to take up," he said.
After mentioning the ongoing campus controversy over the College's handling of sexual assault and racism, Ferrari criticized the Assembly's Diversity Committee chairs and said they have "not come forward with any plans to promote inclusiveness and pluralism at Dartmouth."
Kantaria said he believes the Assembly should play a larger role in moderating the campus climate.
"I think having a more open, inclusive, engaged community is a goal that SA can work to create," Kantaria said. "SA should have a role in addressing these issues."
Former Assembly executive committee member and former presidential candidate Janine Leger '15 said the absence of dedicated committee chairs hindered the Assembly's effectiveness.
"It was a bit of a disaster toward the end," Leger said. "Some committee members completely abandoned their roles.
They committed to a senior position on the exec board, and they didn't follow through at all."
Leger said Kantaria's presidency had good intentions but was challenged by declining membership and lack of enthusiasm among the student body.
"I think he really is a good leader," she said. "He just didn't have the group to work with."
The Assembly nevertheless piloted several programs in the fall, including the First-Year Mentoring Program and an intellectual life initiative to facilitate interactions between students and professors outside of the classroom.
The mentorship program is a collaboration among the Dean's Office, interested upperclassmen and Assembly members.
Although it is currently limited to freshmen in the Russell Sage residential cluster, Kantaria said the Assembly plans to increase faculty and student participation.
He cited the program as one of the major accomplishments during his presidency and said the feedback has been "overwhelmingly" positive.
"It's exciting that we have the structure in place now, and we can build off of it," he said.
Ferrari said he intends to expand the First-Year Mentorship Program because freshman will benefit from comprehensive support.
"We want to have universal access and make sure we get a ratio of one mentor to one mentee," Ferrari said. "I ran for office because I want people coming into Dartmouth to have the full resources they need."
The intellectual life initiative, which initially brought faculty members and students together in freshman dormitories, has expanded to Greek houses, he said. The Assembly's upcoming undergraduate research seminar, to be co-hosted by Alpha Delta fraternity today, points to this growth.
The Assembly encourages freshmen to interact with their professors outside of class by funding the "Take Your Professor to Coffee or Lunch" program, Kantaria said.
Kantaria also sought to increase non-Greek social spaces on campus. The opening of Sarner Underground in the fall allowed the Assembly to host more late-night programs, including a "flair-themed" opening party, co-hosted by Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority and Chi Heorot fraternity.
The Assembly sends "T.G.I.F." emails, compiling weekend activities, on Friday afternoons. The emails provide information about non-Greek social events, including tailgates and extended nighttime gym hours.
"The T.G.I.F blitzes have been really positive," Kantaria said. "I think it was important to synthesize all the non-Greek social events into one source."
Reflecting on his tenure, Kantaria said he was "honored" and "grateful" for the opportunity and appreciated the challenges he faced.
"While I'm the figurehead, a lot of the recognition should go to the members," Kantaria said.
He also advised Ferrari to focus his efforts on just two or three major issues and to "realize the importance of being visible."
Student body vice president Julia Danford '13 did not respond to requests for comment.
