Kantaria highlighted that most of the candidates have little experience with the Assembly, since only Janine Leger '15 and Kelly Wood '14 have been members. Andres Ramirez '14 and Adrian Ferrari '14 have never served as part of the Assembly.
"The candidates having such little experience is an anomaly," Kantaria said. "There will be a very steep learning curve for whoever wins. The position rewards individuals with institutional memory. An outsider will face challenges, but it has been done in the past."
There were nine candidates for the presidential and vice presidential races last year, as opposed to this year's six. Having fewer candidates has contributed to diminished debate attendance and lower interest, Kantaria said.
"There's not as much excitement around this election," he said.
Leger served as an intern under Kantaria and therefore has some experience with the Assembly's inner workings.
"She was part of the communication during meetings with administrators, committee chairs and students," he said. "She knows how SA operates."
Leger's bid for student body presidency is unusual because she is a sophomore. Continuity has been a problem with Student Assembly, and Leger is running so she can hold her post for three consecutive academic terms, including sophomore summer.
If Leger is elected, the Assembly would not elect a summer president as it typically does, Kantaria said. Ferrari has also declared his desire to remain on campus during the summer term.
Leger suggested that she would consider running for a second year if elected.
"There isn't a precedent for running for two terms, but I think it would be beneficial for the student body," she said.
The last candidate to win as a sophomore and serve for two terms as president was Janos Marton '04.
Ramirez said that although he does not have Student Assembly experience, his experience on the Undergraduate Finance Committee and with the Rockefeller Center Policy Research Shop will be beneficial. His outside perspective and diverse skill set would serve him despite his lack of experience.
He said his work with the Rockefeller Center would enable him to incorporate the "SWOC model," an analysis strategy often taught at the Rockefeller Center.
"I've seen the budget year after year, I want to bring it back to policy," Ramirez said. "The '12s were focused more on policy, while this year, we were more focused on programming."
Wood, who served as the secretary on the executive board last summer, is focusing her campaign on bridging the gap between faculty and students.
"I found that there is a significant lack of communication between students and the administration and I think that SA is a way to reform that," she said.
Ferrari is currently on the government department's off-campus program in Washington, D.C., and is working as a White House intern. He came to Hanover for the week in order to campaign and participate in the debates.
Staff writer Sean Connolly contributed reporting to this article.
