Two department senators and a class treasurer were voted into office after running unopposed: junior organizational and political communication major Melissa Flores as organizational and political communication senator, senior broadcast journalism major and former Beacon sports editor Mark Meagher as journalism senator, and sophomore television and video major Brendan Davis as Class of 2009 treasurer.,The Student Government Association (SGA) is looking forward to a productive year after six representative slots were filled during its special elections held online last week.

Two department senators and a class treasurer were voted into office after running unopposed: junior organizational and political communication major Melissa Flores as organizational and political communication senator, senior broadcast journalism major and former Beacon sports editor Mark Meagher as journalism senator, and sophomore television and video major Brendan Davis as Class of 2009 treasurer.

The Class of 2007 secretary position went to senior theatre education major Sarah Cadieux, while junior organizational and political communication major Heather Vitale took the Class of 2008 secretary position.

The race for Marketing Senator was the only one closely contested, with the ten-to-nine vote going to sophomore marketing communication major Emily Greenwell.

Special elections are held to fill positions left vacant after the general elections held at the end of the spring semester. According to SGA Executive President and senior marketing communication major Jamal Barone, these elections are not always necessary.

The voting, done entirely online at vote.emerson.edu, yielded 281 electronic ballots cast.

Barone said these elections have typically not drawn as many voters as general elections, which connect with students by advertising at tables in high-traffic areas outside the dining hall.

But most of the candidates who participated in this election did not advertise.

To vote, students were asked to sign in with their school ID numbers and passwords before being presented with a ballot.

For some who voted, that listing was an introduction to the candidates.

While each elected representative had slightly different goals in mind for the positions, a genuine interest for the students connected the new members.

“I really wanted to do something for my class,” Cadieux said, referring to “Senior Week” in May, a week of activities for graduating seniors.

“I would really like for my fellow juniors to get involved,” Vitale said. “[I want to] bring ideas of service and school involvement to the class.”

Meagher also said he was devoted to the duties of his new position.

“If someone wants something from SGA and wants that idea presented, it’s my task to do that,” Meagher said. “If I don’t, I’m really not doing anything.”

Commissioner positions were filled at an SGA meeting last Tuesday as well.

Barone nominated freshman TV/video major Jeff Foster as executive assistant, sophomore political communication major Daniel Weiman as press secretary and freshman marketing communication major Kristen Murata as public relations chair.

Each of these nominations was later confirmed by the rest of the SGA committee.

“I am very excited about the motivation of this year’s Board,” Barone said. “At our annual SGA retreat, we discovered that we share very important goals: productivity, getting tons of things accomplished for the benefit of the students and fairly representing all student interests. All students have a say in our SGA.”