Last month, around a dozen wide-eyed students, mostly from the junior class, expressed their interest in running for student body president or vice president.
Pair after pair of running mates flocked to the office of Dr. Michael Degen, student council moderator, requesting forms and raising questions about the responsibilities of student office. In the following three weeks, the candidate field thinned out as several prospective duos failed to obtain the 100 signatures necessary to get on the ballot. Last Tuesday, February 15, Dr. Degen coordinated a runoff election to further thin out the field to two pairs of candidates. Last week’s ballot included political newcomers Scott Weiss (’12) and Christian Bartholomew (’12) and Patrick Chester (’12) and Anthony Catalano (’12) both pairings who faced off against the ticket of Tim Nguyen (’12) and Chris Wallace (’12), student council veterans.
In a race that most analysts considered too close to call, the Weiss-Bartholomew ticket drew the short stick, losing to Chester and Catalano by a mere 5 votes. Last Thursday, February 17, 2011 the stage was set for Jesuit’s first-ever presidential/vice presidential debate, pitting Nguyen and Wallace against Chester and Catalano. With the impending election hanging in the balance, these men of steel matched wits over the future of the student council.
