correspondent who voted the night the polls opened, said she was disappointed with freshman voter turnout.

“I found out that only a little over 100 freshmen voted,” McGoldrick said. “I think it’s terrible that the class isn’t getting involved in something that affects us so directly.”

Joel Haffner, a junior visual and media arts and radio double major said he wasn’t very aware of the elections before they took place because of a lack of campaigning.

“No one ever talked about it,” Haffner said. “I didn’t see any posters until afterwards. I thought they were in November, and then I still didn’t care.”

Rob Eckard, the new Class of 2010 president, said he wants to fix that by opening better lines of communication between students and the SGA.

“I really want there to be a face to SGA,” Eckard said. “A lot of kids don’t know there are people that they elected, are representing them and are fighting for what they want.”

Lynda Seumo, a Beacon correspondent and print journalism major, who ran unopposed for Class of 2010 secretary, also stressed student involvement in SGA.

“I want to be your source of information or your newsfeed,” Seumo said. “People shouldn’t be afraid to ask me questions about rumors they’ve heard.”

Stephanie Costa, who was re-elected as Class of 2010 treasurer, used her speech to discuss this student dissatisfaction.

She said she had heard students express desire for more quiet study space and lower prices in the Max Muchnick student cafe.

Before being elected Class of 2008 senator, Heather Vitale addressed some of the same issues in her speech.

“I want there to be a place for off-campus students on campus,” said Vitale, an organizational and political communications major.

Off-campus student involvement was one of the key issues the candidates addressed in their speeches.

Nick Vargas, a writing, literature and publishing major who ran unopposed for Class of 2010 senator, said he hopes for more social events outside of the Emerson dorms.

Costa suggested the creation of a “fan bus” for students who want to attend Emerson’s away games.

“If there’s [an event] in the Little Building, only Little Building people come to it, and if there’s one in Piano Row, only Piano Row people come to it,” Vargas said. “We should have something in a ball room like a prom.”

Han said the relationship between Emerson’s two largest buildings is actually a rivalry, one she wants to eliminate. She said the newly-elected candidates won because of building loyalties.

“There is tension between the two buildings,” Han said. “It was definitely a popularity war since almost no one showed up to the speeches.”

Shannon Lehotsky, vice president of the Class of 2010, said in her speech the key to bringing the campus together may be restrictions on internal advertising in dorms. She also suggested social events in the new gym.

“There have been events in Piano Row that I didn’t know about,” Lehotsky said. “There should be ads for activities for the freshman class as a whole rather than for each building.”

McGoldrick, an organizational and political communications major, said she hoped the candidates came through on their promises to unite the Little Building and Piano Row.

“They all had some really good ideas for activities for the class to get us out of our individual buildings,” McGoldrick said. “I really hope these ideas actually come to fruition.”

Among the more innovative ideas put forth in the speeches came from Eckard, who suggested a freshman-only retreat.

“It’d be out in the woodlands with nature and s’mores and ghost stories,” Eckard said. “We also thought of doing cultural tours of the North End and maybe Chinatown.”

Others elected included Class of 2007 vice president Jen Boyden, Class of 2007 senator and treasurer Matthew Vuolo and visual and media arts senator Scott Fisher.

Elections for journalism senator will be held after the break.