Today, Wednesday, Nov. 11, is the New College Student Alliance (NCSA) Late Fall Elections, a chance for students to get involved in one of the most influential bodies on campus. NCSA elections are held each academic year in the early fall, late fall and spring. Even though all currently enrolled New College students are NCSA members, there are 70 direct representatives, including everything from Social Sciences Representative, who serves on the Council of Academic Affairs (CAA), to the Landscape Representative, who serves on the Council of Green Affairs (CGA). These 70 positions are dispersed throughout the three elections.
For the Late Fall, the petitioning period, in which potential candidates garner student interest by accumulating signatures to place their name on the ballot, begins the Monday after Halloween. The petitioning period lasts for seven days, bleeding into the Campaign Period, in which candidates who accumulated enough signatures present their platforms. Starting the same day as the Petitioning Period, the Campaigning Period lasts 10 days. The last day is the actual elections that occur on a Wednesday in Hamilton “Ham” Center from 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
The positions up for grabs this election are as follows: Speaker(s) of the Towne Meeting; four Student Allocations Committee (SAC) Representatives, one from each class; three Student Court Justices and one counselor; a Green Affairs Representative who serves on the CGA; a Diversity Representative who serves on the Council of Diversity and Inclusion (CDI); and a Student Affairs Representative and a Residence Life Representative who serve on the Council of Student Life (CSL). The newly elected serve from Jan. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2016.
Not only do NCSA elections allow students to run for direct representative positions, they also allow students to submit ballot referenda and constitutional amendments.
The results from Wednesday’s election will be posted the same evening after ballots are counted. There is also a Candidate Meet and Greet that occurs the night before the elections.
The Supervisor of Elections oversees the elections, a paid NCSA position recently assumed by second-year George Thurlow.