Senate Election Information

To the Editor:

In the upcoming Student Senate Election, which will begin November 21st, I strongly urge the student body to re-elect Myself (Tom Simchak), Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz, and Jesse Kanson-Benanav. The three of us, first elected last spring, have all worked hard on Student Senate to represent the opinions of the student body to the administration.
As Senate’s Internal Secretary this semester, much of the work I do is behind-the-scenes, but I’m sure most of the other senators can attest to my skill in making sure the organization ran smoothly and information got to where it needed to go when it needed to get there. I have also had a flawless attendance record at Senate Plenary Meetings, Office Hours, and General Faculty meetings. I also have a solid knowledge of the workings of Oberlin College.
Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz has done an excellent job as Senate’s Liason this semester, meeting with Nancy Dye, Peter Goldsmith, and others, as well as arranging meetings between administrators and larger groups of Senators. She very bravely confronted President Dye about her ‘deferred compensation’ in a recent meeting, despite the unfriendly reaction that Alaina no doubt knew would result.
Jesse Kanson-Benanav has skillfully worked with campus media outlets as Communications Coordinator this semester. As a result there has been more coverage of Senate’s activities than in any time I can remember in my more than three years at Oberlin. As a former Grape editor, he is familiar with the campus media community and has used this knowledge to good effect.
Additionally, Student Senate frequently has problems with heavy turn-over; this semester’s Senate was predominantly new Senators. While it is always good to have the enthusiasm of first-term Senators, experience really does go a long way. The three of us know how Senate works, we know a great deal about how the administration works, and we understand the issues.
In the week following November 21st, I strongly urge you all to vote for Tom Simchak, Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz, and Jesse Kanson-Benanav. At the very least though, please just vote. Ballots will be sent to students’ OCMR boxes. Ballots will also be available next to the ballot box, which will be placed on the counter near the doors of the mail room.

–Tom Simchak
College senior