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9:20 p.m.: That’s the end of our live coverage for tonight. Please follow up

9:19 p.m.: The debates and speeches end without a question and answer session, leaving reporters to take candidates’ speeches at face value without any follow-up questions.

9:18 p.m.: President Jeffrey Rizzi takes the podium to thank reporters, supporters and constituents for coming.

Voting will begin Sunday night and go through Tuesday.

9:16 p.m.: The candidates are delivering their closing statements, recapping the points they made during the debate.

9:09 p.m.: Ben says, as long as the paper can remain independent it may be okay but he does not believe it can be summed up in a minute and 30 seconds. Paul said he thinks the Beacon will be fine without the guaranteed funding. Donovan said he advocates for deleting the constitutional clause to make the process more fair for other organizations and force the Beacon to appeal for funds like any other student group each year.

9:08 p.m.: Class of 2014 President Jon Allen asked the candidates what they think about deleting The Berkeley Beacon’s guaranteed funding — eight percent of the student activities fee.

9:06 p.m.: Rather than creating an intimate environment, as Birch believes, Paul said he thinks the school’s size breeds urgent competitiveness.

9:02 p.m.: Birch, an energetic freshman who speaks so fast each sentence ends with a gasp, said he believes Emerson is strengthened by its size. He said the smallness of the school adds to intimacy.

Undoubtedly spirited, he responds to Paul by saying, We all got into Emerson so we’re all great.

9:00 p.m.: Ben is pushing for transparency, saying he hopes to communicate with constituents through blogs and social media. Paul hastily added that he, too, will take responsibility for any mishaps while in office and communicate quickly to his constituents.

8:57 p.m.: The hopefuls are debating the importance of introductory classes, such as Intro to College Writing. Ben, a 24-year-old freshman from London, England, said he worked as a copywriter for a few years before coming to Emerson. While Birch defended the class, Ben said he could have learned the entire class in a simple seminar.

8:51 p.m.: Candidates for Class of 2015 president, Donovan Birch, Paul and Ben. The latter two uttered their last names to quickly to accurately publish here at this time.

8:46 p.m.: The speech portion of the night has ended and candidates running for contested voting positions have moved on the debate session.

8:40 p.m.: Joynes’ opponent, a woman named Aishwarya Ramani, said she hopes to improve dorm life.

8:36 p.m.: The first of two Class of 2015 senatorial candidates, Lily Joynes, said she was overwhelmed by the creativity she found at Emerson.

8: 35 p.m.: Renee Smith, a freshman marketing communication and political communication double major, is gunning for the 2015 secretary seat. She served as her high school class president and was a member of Future Business Leaders of America. She is running unopposed.

8:31 p.m.: The first two Class of 2015 candidates have listed their numerous accolades from high school governmental positions, to Emerson Dance Company participation, and several volunteer positions.

The 2015 vice presidential candidate Emily Wald, an avid altruist, hopes to encourage more student engagement in local issues and charities.

8:28 p.m.: Zaman gleefully announces that there are numerous Class of 2015 candidates.

8:23 p.m.: Peters now just read a brief speech for Joseph Petrowski, Jr., a fellow Class of 2012 candidate. a href=https://twitter.com/#!/WECBnewsWECB News is reporting/a that he is running for the treasurer position.

8:22 p.m.: Maxwell Peters, the Class of 2012 vice presidential hopeful, appears charismatic as he steps up to the mic. He said he hopes to give back to the school in his final semester, after rousing the crowd with, Who here is a senior? which elicited cheers.

8:18 p.m.: Alyssa Guarino, a junior writing, literature, and publishing major, is running to represent her department in the senate.

She said she is concerned that the publishing aspect of the curriculum is weak and that courses are hyperfocused on literature. She has also brought up the perennial WLP issue of needing more print credits for the vast number of papers and stories students must print.

Right now, her a href=http://www.facebook.com/groups/185795938175548/Facebook election group/a has 44 members.

8:16 p.m.: Caitlin Higgins, a junior broadcast journalism major and the current Class of 2013 senator, is running for vice president, when Zaman succeeds President Jeffrey Rizzi.

The dining facilities are my first priority, she said.

She said she also plans to push for better reports on teachers and put pressure on department heads to investigate professors who receive poor reports.

She appears to be the sole candidate running for the position

8:12 p.m.: Elections Commissioner Pat Comeau introduces Vice President Tau Zaman, kicking off the SGA Speech. Thank you so much for coming, this is a fantastic turnout, Zaman said. He is now joking with the crowd.