Following a voting period that saw the highest level of voter participation in recent years, Ilana Gratch ’16.5 was elected President of the Student Government Association (SGA) for the 2015-16 academic year.
“I look forward to an SGA that engages in meaningful conversation that translates to tangible change,” Gratch said in an email interview following the announcement of her election.
Results for this year’s election were announced in an email sent by former SGA Elections Council Chair Nick Warren ’15. Originally planned for release around 6 p.m. on April 30, election results were not released until 12:08 a.m. on May 1. Warren attributes this delay partly to the high level of voter participation. In an email to the Campus, Warren indicated that 1,783 students voted, marking a 136.47 percent in increase from last year’s presidential race, in which only 754 students voted.
Gratch, who previously held roles as Treasurer and Press Secretary of the SGA, ran alongside three other candidates: Josh Berlowitz ’16, Caroline Walters ’16.5, and Stuart Warren ’17. This comes as a sharp contrast to last year’s election cycle, in which Taylor Custer ’15 ran an uncontested race for the presidency.
Warren’s email, which included detailed rundowns of the election results, revealed that votes for the presidency were counted in three rounds, each of which saw the removal of the candidate receiving the least amount of votes. Berlowitz was removed in the first round after receiving 9.2 percent of votes, followed by Walters with 19.7 percent, and finally Warren with 38.0 percent. Gratch held a majority in each round, respectively receiving 44.4 percent, 49.4 percent, and 62.0 percent of votes.
Gratch’s platform includes opening Proctor Dining Hall from 10-11 p.m. for “10 o’clock Proc,” creating a student-run bar on campus, and forming a peer counseling service.
“I am deeply committed to fostering a student government that is relevant, transparent, and approachable. It is my hope that through leading in a thoughtful and purposeful manner, I will be able to not only listen carefully to what students want to see happen at Middlebury, but also advocate effectively on their behalf,” Gratch said.
