Frosh election results to be revealed tonight

The results of the freshman elections will be announced tonight after a week of elections, which garnered participation from over half of the Class of 2007.

With 72 candidates posted for positions in the Undergraduate Assembly and Class Board, there are 40 contenders for only eight UA seats and 14 candidates competing for the single position of class president. The elections took place on Penn InTouch from Sept. 30 until yesterday.

Over 1,300 freshmen participated in the election, pushing the turnout rate just over 50 percent -- a similar turnout to that of previous years.

The Nominations and Elections Committee oversees the election process and helps to raise awareness of elections through e-mails and events like "Get Out the Vote." But College senior and NEC Chairwoman Melissa La Vigne praised the candidates for inciting fellow freshmen to vote.

"We make it really clear in the beginning of the election process that high voter turnout is mainly a result of the candidates," La Vigne said.

La Vigne said that this year, some freshmen carefully studied the election regulations set forth by the Fair Practice Code -- enough so, in fact, that three freshmen raised charges against candidates who they felt violated the FPC.

"This is unusual for a freshman class election," La Vigne said, referring to the three charges. "Freshmen don't usually understand the rules, but I think this year it shows they took the election process really seriously."

Nursing and Wharton freshman Randy Tang is bringing forth a charge against fellow candidate and Wharton freshman Nick Ravlin for what he calls "dirty campaigning." Both are up for the position of freshman vice president of corporate sponsorship.

However, Tang said he brought the charge against Ravlin after being pressured by friends, his graduate associate and fellow candidates.

"I didn't really want to start any trouble," Tang said, adding that he hopes Ravlin does not get disqualified.

College freshman Anthony Inguaggiato cited a violation of the FPC as well, and is charging Jon Cho of early campaigning. Both are running for freshman vice president and the UA.

A second charge is being brought against Cho by College freshman Virgilio Aquino for the same offense, although Aquino is not running for an office.

The proceedings -- which determine if the two candidates are in violation of the FPC and whether they should be disqualified -- will be held tonight in Logan Hall room 17 at 8 p.m. before the official winners of the elections are announced.

Alleged violations or not, candidates devoted a lot of time to their campaigns.

"The candidates this year were really hardcore," La Vigne said. "They were really intense, and they campaigned so much more than candidates in the past, and that's really the only thing that gets students to vote."

UA Chairman and College senior Jason Levy said that after witnessing the ambitious candidates, he is eager to welcome the eight winners into the assembly.

"Every year, there is always a huge amount of excitement about getting new members, especially this year after such a competitive race," Levy said. "We're expecting really enthusiastic and motivated new members."

Some freshmen agreed that election participation shows that their class as one that is eager to make a difference.

"I think it says that we are a really ambitious class, a class that really wants to get involved and help the school and make it a better place," College freshman Stephanie Oduro said.

College freshman Nina Lior agreed, saying that "it just shows that our class wants to take an active pursuit in what's going on here at Penn."

But Lior noted that the overwhelming number of candidates made it more difficult to choose a single candidate who best represented her views.

"I feel like I don't know any of the candidates personally," Lior said, "and I felt like I didn't know enough about the whole process to vote."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.