Voting opens today for THELMO elections. This semester the positions up for reelection are President, Vice President of Senate Affairs (VPSA), Vice President of University Relations (VPUR), and Secretary. In this article I will give brief overviews of each of the positions up for election and the candidates running for these positions. More detailed info can be found on the voting form.
President
The THELMO Presidency is the most powerful role that a student can hold on this campus. Responsible for leading all Senate and Executive Board meetings, they have a lot of power over the issues that THELMO focuses on. They also serve as a representative for the entire student body in communication with faculty and staff and as a delegate to the Board of Trustees. There are three candidates for the presidency this year.
Danny Ruaño ‘25 has served on the eboards of 10 different clubs including ACE and La Sociedad. As President he would seek to decrease the divisions in our community and make sure no student feels like there is nothing to do on campus. His goals include reducing unnecessary club spending and creating designated spaces in Dana for meeting new people.
Dexter Seeley ‘25 is serving his 6th semester in THELMO and has previously been VPSA. As President he would seek to make sure that students are aware of the resources available for them and that their voices will be heard if they have concerns. He wants to get students more students attending events and participating in student government.
Sofia Zareizadeh ‘26 is serving her second semester as THELMO’s Chair of International Affairs. As President she would seek to create more fundraising opportunities for clubs, establish a separate fund for large events, and improve budget allocation. She would also increase more inclusivity on campus by requiring all clubs and sports teams to have a DEI chair.
Vice President of Senate Affairs
The VPSA is responsible for setting the agenda for the Senate as well as being an expert on the constitution and making amendments to update it as needed. The VPSA also fills the role of the President in their absence and supervises elections with the Elections Chairperson. Finally, they keep track of active student organizations and communicate with these organizations and the whole student body about Senate resolutions. There are three VPSA candidates this year.
Aiden Pierre-Louis ‘26 is serving his second semester as THELMO’s Examining Systemic Bias Chair. As VPSA, he hopes to greatly increase collaboration between different student organizations on campus. He also seeks to raise awareness about the effects of systemic bias and the importance of diversity and inclusion.
Stephen Austin ‘28 is a THELMO Senator and is active in multiple clubs including SLU Democrats. As VPSA he would amend the THELMO Constitution to include protections against discrimination in order to make minority groups feel safer on campus. He also intends to impose harsher penalties for perpetrators of sexual violence and hate crimes.
Ralfs Puhalskis ‘28 is a THELMO Senator and is active in the Laurentian Magazine and Close the Loop. As VPSA he would work to make the constitutional amendment process more accessible to the Senate so that more people can make changes to solve issues they see on campus. He hopes to increase transparency and have more discussion around policy.
Vice President of University Relations
The VPUR oversees all Senate subcommittees, Tripartite Committees, and University Committees. It is their responsibility to assign student representatives to these committees and act as a liaison between the committees and the Senate. They also work on a personal project that aims to solve a student issue, and they assist the Secretary in organizing THELMO storage. There are two candidates for VPUR this year.
Skyler Gade ‘27 is a THELMO Senator and is active in Pre-Law club and Ultimate Frisbee. As VPUR Skyler would communicate with students, faculty, and staff in order to determine the best ways to solve issues on this campus. She seeks to find solutions that will accurately represent the diverse backgrounds of our community.
Velma Montiero ‘27 is a first-year mentor, OCIP Intern, and is part of the Student Safety Team. As VPUR Velma would work to make off-campus locations more accessible by creating a student transportation service. She would also create a “semester book” featuring contributions from all of the different clubs and organizations on campus.
Secretary
The THELMO Secretary is responsible for keeping minutes for all senate and eboard meetings. They also track attendance and keep records that are available for other eboard members to reference. Additionally, they help the VPUR organize THELMO Storage.
Ngure Ndiritu ‘27 is a THELMO Senator and an active member of ASU. He is able to stay organized under pressure. His skills of planning ahead, prioritizing, and keeping records will be useful should he take the position of Secretary.
Quinn Martin ‘28 is a THELMO Senator, Social Media Chair for Close the Loop and a member of the Campus Climate Action Corps. He has experience working in teams and planning events and is ready to facilitate communication between students.
Sofi Macero ‘26 is an Admissions Ambassador, WORD Studio Tutor, and former IHouse Coordinator. Through her experiences organizing events on campus, she has developed organizational skills including delegation, breaking things down, and setting deadlines.
Yeva Doskalchuk ‘28 is a THELMO Senator and is active with the Laurentian Magazine and SLU Hip-Hop. Living on her own since she was 16, she has developed scheduling and time management skills that she plans to use as Secretary.