The Judicial Council approved 10 tickets to run for Class Council. Six tickets are running for Sophomore Class Council, while two tickets are running for Junior and Senior Class Councils each. Elections will take place online today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
SOPHOMORE CLASS COUNCIL
Juan Rangel, Alison Leddy, Christina Gutierrez, Paul Luczak
Juan Rangel, Alison Leddy, Christina Gutierrez and Paul Luczak hope to unite their class through communication and programming.
"We will ensure that we communicate with the entire class on a regular basis, as well as allow plenty of opportunities for the class to communicate with us," Rangel said. "We also will ensure that we offer something for everyone when it comes to providing programs and events for the class."
Rangel, Leddy and Gutierrez are currently members of Freshman Class Council. Luczak is a member of the First Undergraduate Experience in Leadership program. Rangel said he and his running mates are enthusiastic about enacting a number of initiatives.
"We are excited to begin working on allowing Domer Dollars to be used on Eddy Street, apparel like sunglasses and rugby shirts, short and concise weekly newsletters, service opportunities with Habitat for Humanity and teaming up with other student organizations to plan great events," Rangel said.
Kevin McMannis, CristinPacifico, Ryan Newell, Kai Gayoso
The main focus of Kevin McMannis' ticket is to establish a tight-knit class by catering to students' ideas, he said.
McMannis said his ticket's ideas include organizing a "farewell picnic" after final exams, creating neon class apparel and holding a class Mass and monthly town hall-style meetings.
"We'd like to host a festival on Irish Green near the end of fall and enjoy the last of the ‘warm' season together," he said. "We want to bring in a band, rides and food to celebrate the fall and get ready for a white winter."
McMannis is running with Cristin Pacifico, Ryan Newell and Kai Gayoso. The four ticket members serve on Freshman Class Council. McMannis is the freshman class vice president and Pacifico is also a member of the Student Union Board.
"We understand what is expected of us and we have crucial programming experience," McMannis said. "At the same time, we have fresh ideas and a fresh start, which we think is also very important."
Timothy Scanlan, Nathan Foje, Andrea Palm, Emily Voorde
Tim Scanlan, Nathan Foje, Andrea Palm and Emily Voorde want to use class events and apparel to generate pride in the class of 2015.
"To do this, we plan on throwing an off-campus Winter Ball and hosting a year-long Class Cup that will pit dorms against each other in various competitions," Scanlan said.
The campaign also calls for increased communication between students and the Class Council.
"We will have a ‘Class of 2015 Stimulus Package' that will allow anyone to submit an idea to Sophomore Class Council and we will help fund and run their event," he said.
The ticket also emphasizes designing class bro tanks and snapbacks as a priority.
Kevin Walsh, Martin Walsh, Jeanette Kim, Shannon Hogan
The platform presented by Kevin Walsh, Martin Walsh, Jeanette Kim and Shannon Hogan aims to foster class unity.
"Our main focus is giving the class of 2015 their most enjoyable experience at Notre Dame to date," Kevin Walsh said.
Many of their ideas include an outdoor ice rink, class trips to the Indiana dunes, a capture the flag tournament, themed school days, a class barbecue and multiple fundraisers for charity.
"To us, our duty as leaders of the Sophomore Class Council is to provide the most opportunities for students to enjoy themselves during their sophomore year here," he said.
The ticket also plans to streamline communication between the council and students.
Jack McKenna, Andrew Pemberton, Caroline Chang, Therese Germain
The time is now to change the Class of 2015's Notre Dame experience for the better, Class Council candidate Jack McKenna said.
McKenna, who is running with Andrew Pemberton, Caroline Chang and Therese Germain, said his team hopes to bring vision and passion back into student government after an "unsatisfying year" on Freshman Class Council.
"We believe this deficit of excitement is a detour and not a destiny," McKenna said. "We deserve better than what we've been offered and we intend to challenge the status quo in a way no one else can."
In order to get the sophomore class back on track, the ticket proposes a variety of initiatives that would give voice and power to the sophomore class. These items include converting Class Council meetings to a town hall format, pushing for acceptance of Flex Points and Domer Dollars at Eddy Street Commons and giving students choice in the Class of 2015 spirit gear.
McKenna also said class fundraising should focus on improving dorm amenities and giving back to the greater South Bend community.
Billy Christy, John Mueller, Maggie Wilmouth, Kelsey Hutchinson
Billy Christy, John Mueller, Maggie Wilmouth and Kelsey Hutchinson aim to unify their class through constituent outreach, spirit promotion and council-to-council communication in event planning.
To improve council efficiency and "personalize the interactions between student body and government," Christy said his team will focus on reaching out to their peers through individual interaction and a four-member outreach committee.
"We're the only campaign that has promised to go door-to-door to meet with every member of the class of 2015 at least four different times during our term," Christy said.
Christy said his team plans to work with other class councils to create both bigger and better events for the sophomore class and the general campus community.
The ticket's platform also proposes organizing class-sanctioned trips to Notre Dame varsity athletic events to unify the sophomore class in both class and school pride.
Christy said these specific proposals all converge in the goal of outreach on multiple levels: Dorm to dorm, section to section, door to door, person to person.
"We'll be the ticket who knows if we're successful because of our vast outreach," Christy said.
JUNIOR CLASS COUNCIL
Elizabeth Helpling, Neal Ravindra, Jessica Puricelli, Greg Yungtum
Increasing class unity while making student government available to students' needs is a priority for Elizabeth Helpling's ticket, she said. To do this, Helpling, Neal Ravindra, Jessica Puricelli and Greg Yungtum will circulate a class council newsletter, amongst other things.
"We want to make student government activities catered to (the students') expectations and more accessible, while accommodating their busy schedules," she said.
Class unity is a huge focus of the ticket's platform, Helpling said, which includes involving students who are studying abroad in campus life.
"We especially want to make sure that our classmates who are studying abroad are still connected with the students here on campus," she said. "We plan to organize care packages and outreach efforts to students abroad."
The ticket also looks to continue successful activities the class of 2014 enjoyed in the past, Helpling said.
"We also want to bring back some of the more popular events that our Class Councils have put on in the past, such as the Class Mass and expanding the 2014 class merchandise," Helpling said.
Nicholas Desmone, Kerry Hunt, Jacob Kaminski, Matthew Schmit
Nicholas Desmone said the members of his ticket are focused on delivering a number of exciting experiences to the members of the class of 2014 next year.
"Simply put, our ticket wants to create events for the class of 2014 that are worthwhile," he said. "Instead of focusing on an array of smaller events, we want to pursue large goals."
Desmone said potential event ideas include having a new concert on campus in the fall semester and planning multi-day service trips coupled with recreational activities such as a trip to Cedar Point.
The ticket, which also includes Kerry Hunt, Jacob Kaminski and Matthew Schmit, also wants to plan a charity dinner as one of their signature events.
"We'd like to host and sell tickets to an on-the-quad dinner for sophomores with delicious food (such as) steak, seafood, amazing deserts and music," he said. "The money collected would go to a charitable cause."
Desmone said what sets his ticket apart from other potential candidates is the group's spirit of innovation.
"I believe what separates us from our opponents is our specific ideas and originality," he said. "We are beyond driven and excited for this."
SENIOR CLASS COUNCIL
Tricia Corbran, Claire George, Daniel Klodor, Chris Champlin
Tricia Corbran, Claire George, Daniel Klodor and Chris Champlin hope to make senior year about "the class as a whole," Corbran said.
"The focus of our senior year should be on making an unforgettable experience filled with events that everyone feels included in and that people actually want to go to," she said.
Some of those events would include a "Senior Bar Throwback Night" at Legends, as well as tours of the Stadium, tunnel and 14th floor of the Hesburgh Library.
Another area of focus, Corbran said, is helping students transition from Notre Dame to the real world.
"We hope to hold a series comprised of several workshops … with speakers on managing personal finance … how to cook more than Easy Mac but stay on budget, and getting students into contact with alumni clubs and other students in the locations where they will be working following graduation," Corbran said.
She said a main strength of her ticket is the experience each candidate has.
"We feel that our ticket is a good representation of the senior class," Corbran said. "We have a large range of experience from a president that has been involved with Class Council since freshman year to a secretary whose involvement has been outside of student government."
Megan Rodts, Caitlyn Koscielski, Kevin Mitchell, Louis Medina
The goal of Megan Rodts' ticket is to be "student-centered" and stay in active communication with the Class of 2013, Rodts said.
Rodts runs with Caitlyn Koscielski, Kevin Mitchell and Louis Medina.
Their platform, titled "Enriching Our Futures," aims to help prepare students for post-college life by offering cooking classes and a monthly lecture series.
"We're really excited about this lecture series because it will involve current faculty or Notre Dame alumni who have excelled in their professions, and will be focused on what they did during their senior years and immediately after college that they found successful and vital to their career path," she said.
The ticket also hopes to hold social events including a "Fall Senior Week" in addition to the senior week before graduation, as well as a senior tailgate at the last home football game, Rodts said.
She said her ticket has a great combination of "super experience" and "fresh perspective."
"We find that this is really important because the current structure of the Class Council system is very effective for younger classes; yet as we grow, the system also needs to grow and change," she said. "We acknowledge that and look forward to restructuring the Council in order to provide for these more mature needs and program successfully for our class."
