Here Is What the New AUCSA Board Says Shortly after Its Election

By Lisa Jesudas and Levin Stamm

Only for a brief moment did the otherwise sovereign departing AUCSA board become somewhat unhinged at this year’s Election GA in the academic building. Shortly after opening the voting platform, departing president Clelia Venturin asked if anyone was experiencing technical issues, upon which approximately half of the present crowd streamed to the stage to get support. The problem was quickly solved. Minutes later the platform was re-opened and the votes re-casted. Everything continued as expected.

Due to the lack of candidates that had applied, four out of six positions were already determined before the elections had actually begun. Only the positions of the president and the treasurer required an actual election, while the three positions of the committee affairs officer (CAO) and the position of the secretary were a mere formality.

The new AUCSA board is the following: Bartolomeo Attolico (President), Lucas Serralta Jamard (Secretary), Eva Ebbers (Treasurer), Dhruv Gulati, Francesca Drewell and Sam Ringeling (all CAO).

Right after the Election GA had been adjourned, the newly elected president was visibly relieved. Bartolomeo Attolico, a first-year Science major, states that he had thoroughly thought about applying for his position. Originally, Attolico had applied for the CAO position, but was convinced by the Election Commission to apply as a president instead. “They told that my interpersonal skills and previous experience made me a better fit for this position,” he states. What comes next for Attolico? “I want to learn a lot, talk to the previous presidents and bond with the other board members,” he says.

Eva Ebbers, a second-year Science major, was feeling a bit overwhelmed. “Just sitting there going through all the policy changes while you were going over the speech in your head was nerve-racking,” she says. The newly elected treasurer admits that she was surprised with the outcome. She felt that her fellow candidate for treasurer had more experience than her and was calculating that within her expectations. “I am happy and honoured that people believe in me,” she says. 

First-year Science major Sam Ringeling is excited to get started as a newly elected committee affairs officer. He is first and foremost ready to learn all the mundane aspects of the AUCSA before tackling bigger plans for the future. He acknowledges that it will be a lot of work: “It’s incredible to imagine where we could go from here, but you’ve got to put in the effort,” he says. Ringeling points out that he is very keen on the new external relations officer (ERO) position that was proposed and confirmed at today’s Election GA. He would have applied for that had it been implemented sooner. The first ERO is expected to be elected next year.

Moving on, the new advisory council, consisting of Oliver West, Alizee Junco, Freya Baker and Rein Bernard, will support the AUCSA board to get ready for the coming academic year.