Thursday, Sept. 26, the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly held elections for the Class of 2023 President and its four senatorial seats. Voters in the Class of 2020 also participated in a special election to fulfill a vacant Senate seat.
Conor Sokolowsky ’23 was elected as Class of 2023 President. Abby Varricchio ’23, Madison Hubbard ’23, Maheen Saeed ’23 and Eugene Lee ’23 were elected as their class’s four new senators, and Josh Panganiban ’20 was elected to fulfill the senatorial vacancy Class of 2020.
“After meeting a lot of the Class of 2023 during my campaign, I was so impressed by the sense of community I found,” Sokolowsky said in a written statement. “I had a blast meeting so many new people across campus, and was glad to see the dorm lounges are actually being utilized. So many students engaged me in unique conversations and brought to my attention many ideas that I worked into the campaign; in other words, my campaign platform was really the collective brainchild of most of our class. I am so excited and honored to represent my classmates in Student Assembly alongside some amazing Senators.”
846 students voted in the Class of 2023’s elections out of 1,534 eligible voters, totaling a voter turnout rate of 55.15 percent. The special election for the Class of 2020 senate seat saw 282 students cast ballots out of an eligible 1,489 students, resulting in a lower turnout rate of 18.94 percent.
“To be completely honest, I was very nervous and constantly thinking of ways I could’ve done better campaigning,” Lee said in a written statement. “I can quite literally say I sprang to my feet in joy when I found out my class elected me to be there voice. This upcoming year in SA I’m hoping to use this newly entrusted power to fully represent the views of not only my class, but all students of W&M. And to all of the class of 2023, thank you so much for putting your trust in me to be your voice in SA. I feel so incredibly humbled and honored by your decision and will constantly strive for your approval.”
In being elected to serve as Class of 2023 President, Sokolowsky received 220 votes, or 26.92 percent of the vote. Bryce Earley ’23 fell seven votes short of victory with 213 ballots cast in her favor. Earley was followed by Kieran Mangla ’23 with 95 votes, Cecelia Eure ’23 with 76 votes, Sally Calengor ’23 with 53 votes, Grace Keenan ’23 with 50 votes, Henry Netter ’23 with 45 votes, Caleb Howan ’23 with 27 votes, Will McLeery ’23 with 22 votes and Darrin Lilly ’23 with 16 votes.
Of the 846 students who voted for the Class of 2023’s four senatorial seats, Hubbard received 365 votes for a total of 13.85 percent of the vote, Lee received 338 votes, Varricchio received 304 votes, and Saeed received 254 votes.
“I will work tirelessly as an advocate for the Class of 2023 with open and authentic communication,” Varricchio said in a written statement on Instagram.
Varricchio’s platform focused on access to mental health care, campus safety, diversity and inclusion, and resources for new student campus transition.
Lee campaigned on a platform which focused heavily on a Crim Dell beautification project.
“By working with college science clubs and societies, we could work towards a cleaner and more pleasant Crim Dell for William & Mary!” Lee said in a written statement.
Hubbard’s campaign emphasized sexual health in her run for Senate. She hopes to increase sexual health education and offer resources for students.
“I aim to improve our lives on campus by pushing for more extensive sexual health education and resources while also promoting the positive experiences and inclusivity that we already feel on campus,” Hubbard said in a written statement.
Kevin Bloodworth II ’23 fell five votes short of securing a senatorial seat with 259 votes (9.83 percent), followed by Owen Williams ’23 with 223 votes, Ireland Miller ’23 with 207 votes, Emma Herber with 193 votes, Mackenzie Mastal with 172 votes, Andrew Cowen with 169 votes and Aidan Lowe with 139 votes.
Panganiban received 161 out of 282 votes, or 58.33 percent of the vote. Andrew Scarafile ’20 fell short with 115 votes.
Panganiban centered his campaign on the issue of sustainability at the College, breaking his run for the Senate into three points: health, safety and sustainability.
Newly elected SA members will attend their first Senate meeting Tuesday, Oct. 1.
